DMF makes every attempt to keep these regulations tables accurate and up to date. This is an “unofficial” copy. The Secretary of State maintains the official copy of the 322 CMR . You can buy an official copy from the state bookstore. For more information on ordering a copy of 322 CMR visit the Secretary of State website.
Recreational finfish regulations
| Species | Season | Size Limit |
Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| American eel (1) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 9 in. | 25 fish |
| Black sea bass (2) (6)^ | May 19 - Sept 1 | 15 in. | 5 fish |
| Bluefish | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | 10 fish |
| Cod (North of Cape Cod) All anglers (3) (4) | closed year round | N/A | 0 fish |
| Cod (South of Cape Cod) (3) (4)* | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 22 in. | 10 fish |
| Dab (plaice) (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 14 in. | no limit |
| Fluke | May 23 - Oct 9 | 17 in. | 5 fish |
| Gray sole (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 14 in. | no limit |
| Haddock (North of Cape Cod) Private (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 17 in. | 12 fish |
| Haddock (North of Cape Cod) For-Hire (3) (4) |
Jan 1 - Feb 28 Apr 15 - Sept 16 Nov 1 - Dec 31 |
17 in. 17 in. 17 in. |
12 fish 12 fish 12 fish |
| Haddock (South of Cape Cod) (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 18 in. | no limit |
| Halibut (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 41 in. | 1 fish |
| Monkfish (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | no limit |
| Ocean pout (3) (4) | prohibited | N/A | N/A |
| Pollock (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | no limit |
| Redfish (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | no limit |
| River herring | prohibited | N/A | N/A |
| Scup, Private (6) | May 1 - Dec 31 | 9 in. | 30 fish or 150 fish/vessel if 5 or more anglers are aboard |
| Scup, For-Hire (6) |
May 1 - Jun 30 Jul 1 - Dec 31 |
9 in. 9 in. |
45 fish 30 fish |
| American shad Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | 3 fish |
| American shad other waters | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | N/A | catch and release only |
| Smelt | Jun 16 - Mar 14 | no limit | 50 fish |
| Spiny dogfish | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | no limit | no limit |
| Striped bass (5) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 28 in. | 1 fish |
| Tautog (7) |
Jan 1 - Mar 31 |
N/A |
prohibited 3-fish 1-fish 3-fish 5-fish |
| Weakfish | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 16 in. | 1 fish |
| White perch | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 8 in. | 25 fish |
| Windowpane (3) (4) | prohibited | N/A | N/A |
| Winter flounder (North of Cape Cod) (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 12 in. | 8 fish |
| Winter flounder (South & East of Cape Cod) (3) (4) | Mar 1 - Dec 31 | 12 in. | 2 fish |
| Wolffish (3) (4) | prohibited | N/A | N/A |
| Yellowtail flounder (3) (4) | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | 13 in. | no limit |
Tunas, billfish, and swordfish are managed by NOAA's Highly Migratory Species Office. Please consult NOAA Fisheries for permitting requirements and regulations.
*Rule changes are anticipated for May 1, 2018. FY 2018 limits will be published as soon as they are finalized. Please consult DMF for further information.
^ DMF has submitted an appeal to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission seeking additional access to this abundant resource. If the appeal is successful, additional rule liberalizations may be made in early May 2018.
1) Subject to regulation by the Division and the municipality. Please consult municipal regulations.
2) Black sea bass are measured from the tip of the snout or jaw (mouth closed) to the farthest extremity of the tail, not including the tail filament.
3) Federal rules apply beyond state waters. Consult NOAA Fisheries for regulations.
4) It is unlawful to fish with hook and line gear in the Winter Cod Conservation Closure from November 15 through January 31. It is unlawful to take cod from the Summer Cod Conservation Closure from April 16 through July 21. See maps in 322 CMR 8.07 for more details.
5) Striped bass are measured from the tip of the snout or jaw (mouth closed) to the farthest extremity of the tail. The discard of dead legal sized striped bass is unlawful. The practice of high-grading, whereby legal sized striped bass are released in favor of larger fish caught subsequently is unlawful. Accordingly, it is also unlawful to keep a striped bass alive in water by attaching a line or chain to the fish (stringer), or placing it in a live well or holding car. Striped bass must be kept whole, meaning the head, tail, and body remain intact. Only evisceration is allowed. Permitted for-hire vessels may fillet striped bass for their customers.
6) Black sea bass and scup may be filleted but not skinned while at-sea. No more than two fillets per allowed fish may be possessed.
7) When the tautog fishery is open, private anglers are subject to 10-fish maximum tautog limit for the vessel. The most restrictive limit of the per angler bag limit or per vessel maximum limit applies.
Additional Resources
Recreational shark regulations
| Species | Minimum Size | Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|
| All permitted sharks (exceptions listed below) | 54 in. | 1 total per trip |
| Atlantic sharpnose shark | no minimum size | included in total shark bag limit +1 additional |
| Bonnethead shark | no minimum size | included in total shark bag limit +1 additional |
| Smooth dogfish | no minimum size | included in total shark bag limit +1 additional |
| Blacknose shark | no minimum size | included in total shark bag limit |
| Finetooth shark | no minimum size | included in total shark bag limit |
| Hammerhead shark | 72 in. | included in total shark bag limit |
Permitted Species
The following species are allowed to be harvested:
Smooth Dogfish, Atlantic sharpnose, Bonnethead, Finetooth, Blacknose, Tiger, Blacktip, Spinner, Bull, Lemon, Nurse, Scalloped hammerhead, Great hammerhead, Smooth hammerhead, Shortfin mako, Porbeagle, Common thresher, Oceanic whitetip, Blue
Prohibited Species
The following species are prohibited from harvest:
Silky, Sandbar, Sand tiger, Bigeye sand tiger, Whale, Basking, White, Dusky, Bignose, Galapagos, Night, Caribbean reef, Narrowtooth, Caribbean sharpnose, Smalltail, Atlantic angel, Longfin mako, Bigeye thresher, Sharpnose sevengill, Bluntnose sixgill, Bigeye sixgill
Recreational shellfish regulations
| Species | Minimum Size | Other Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
| Bay scallops | well defined growth ring | Closed Apr 01 - Oct 01, consult town regulations |
| Conch | N/A | 15 mixed whelk limit; consult town regulations |
| Oyster | 3 in. shell diameter | consult town regulations |
| Quahog | 1 in. shell thickness | consult town regulations |
| Sea Scallop | 3 1/2 in. shell diameter | daily limit of 1 bushel in shell, or 4 quarts of shucked meats |
| Softshell clam | 2 in. shell diameter | consult town regulations |
| Surf clam | 5 in. shell diameter | consult town regulations |
Additional Resources
Recreational lobster regulations
| Minimum carapace size | 3 1/4 in. |
| Maximum carapace size | 5 in. |
| V-notched females: definition | Illegal to possess any female lobster that bears a notch or indentation in the base of the flipper that is at least as deep as 1/8 in. with or without setal hairs |
| Trap limit | 10 traps |
| Escape vent | One rectangular vent 1 15/16 in. × 5 3/4 in. or two circular vents of 2 7/16 in. in diameter |
| Bag limit | 15 lobsters per day |
| Minimum carapace size | 3 3/8 in. |
| Maximum carapace size | none |
| V-notched females: definition | Illegal to possess any female lobster that bears a notch or indentation in the base of the flipper that is at least as deep as 1/8 in. with or without setal hairs |
| Trap limit | 10 traps |
| Escape vent | One rectangular vent 2 in. × 5 3/4 in. or two circular vents of 2 5/8 in. in diameter |
| Bag limit | 15 lobsters per day |
| Minimum carapace size | 3 3/8 in. |
| Maximum carapace size | 5 1/4 in. |
| V-notched females: definition | Illegal to possess any female lobster that bears a notch or indentation in the base of the flipper that is at least as deep as 1/8 in. with or without setal hairs |
| Trap limit | 10 traps |
| Escape vent | One rectangular vent 2 in.× 5 3/4 in. or two circular vents of 2 5/8 in. in diameter |
| Bag limit | 15 lobsters per day |
Additional Resources
Recreational crab regulations
| Species | Minimum size | Other regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Blue crab | 5 in. shell width (spine to spine) | Egg-bearers cannot be taken; 25 crabs/day; no permit required unless using traps or SCUBA; closed season is January 01–April 30, inclusive |
| Other edible crabs* | none | 50 crabs total per day (including up to 25 blue)—other regulations are the same as for blue crab |
* Excludes green crabs. In order to harvest green crabs, you must obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the Division. Please contact Kerry Allard for a LOA or more information at (617) 626-1633 or kerry.allard@state.ma.us).
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is the taking of fish by use of a speargun. When spearfishing, you must comply with all recreational fishing regulations regarding size, seasons and bag limits on the species. You are not allowed to catch striped bass or lobster by spearfishing. For federally regulated species, please visit NOAA Fisheries. Popular spearfishing species in Massachusetts waters include tautog and black sea bass.
How to measure your finfish catch
For Massachusetts marine waters, the minimum size for fish (exceptions listed below) is the greatest straight line length (not curved over the body) from the anterior tip of the jaw or snout (mouth closed) to the farthest extremity of the tail. Fish should be firmly grasped with both hands for proper measuring. Care should be taken so that the head firmly contacts the zero mark on rulers and tapes simultaneously with the tail extremity. For fish with forked tails, the upper and lower fork may be squeezed together to measure the tail extremity.
Black sea bass if the tail filament (tendril) is present, it is not included in the total length measurement.
Billfish (swordfish, sailfish, marlin) are measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the tail fork.
Sharks are measured from the tip of the snout to the fork of the tail.
Tunas measurement is taken in a line, tracing the contour of the body from the tip of the upper jaw to the fork of the tail, which crosses the dorsal insertion of the pectoral fin and the dorsal side of the caudal keel.
Contact environmental law enforcement
Hewitts Cove (Hingham): (781) 740-1163
Radio Room (Boston): (617) 626-1650
North Coastal Bureau (Gloucester): (978) 283-7764
Toll Free Number (Boston): (800) 632-8075