| American Eel | 9" | You may use all gear from 1/1 through 8/31
Only Spear, Baited Trap and Eel Pot may be used from 9/1 through 12/31
Wire mesh may not be less than ½" when unstretched | |
| American Lobster | Carapace Length:
3-3/8" minimum
5¼" maximum | Season CLOSED February and March
Must v-notch and release egg bearing females according to COMAR 08.02.08.10
No egg bearing, scraped, scrubbed, v-notched or speared lobsters
Gear other than traps may not land more than 100 lobsters per day for a 24-hour period, or 500 lobsters per trip for a 5-day or longer period | |
| Atlantic Menhaden | None | Open Year Round
Unlimited fishery is open until the State-wide quota is met
After the quota is met the fishery will switch to the permitted fishery | |
| Black Sea Bass | 11" | Open Year Round
Quotas by permit
Without permit - 50 lbs/vessel/day | |
| Blue Crabs | HARD - 5"
PEELERS from April 1 through July 14 - 3 1/4"
PEELERS from July 15 through October 31 - 3 1/2"
SOFT from April 1 through Dec 15 - 3 1/2" | 4/1 through 10/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
Harvest crabs and set/retrieve gear between sunrise and 8-½ hours after sunrise during April and October; and between ½ hour before sunrise to 8 hours after sunrise during May through September
Scrapes prohibited
Mature female hard crabs shall be kept in separate bushels, lugs, or barrels from male hard crabs or peeler crabs. Hard crabs on board a vessel shall be stored in the same type of containers of similar dimensions.
25 bushels, 16 lugs, or 10 barrels per commercial boat
Catch Times for 5/26, 5/27, 6/18, 6/19, 7/3, 7/4, 9/1, 09/2:
1 1/2 hours before sunrise to 8 hours after sunrise | |
| Cobia | 33" fork length | Open Year Round
2/person/day - not to exceed 6/vessel/day
| |
| Conch | 6" length
3-3/8" girth (Channeled Whelk only) | Open Year Round
"Conch" Includes knobbed, channel and lightning whelk | |
| Croaker | 9" | 3/16 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates | |
| Drum, Black | 16" | Atlantic Ocean - Open Year Round
Ocean: 1500 lbs Annual Limit
Coastal Bays - CLOSED | |
| Drum, Red | 18" minimum
25" maximum | Open Year Round
5/person/day | |
| Grouper | None | Open Year Round
175 lbs combined weight of all species defined as grouper (see list of species in links)
Several species of snapper and grouper are defined as grouper for regulation and harvesting purposes | |
| Hard Clam | Transverse 1" | Sunrise to 4pm
Season CLOSED 6/1 through 9/14, except for handheld gear
Hydraulic dredge prohibited | |
| Horseshoe Crab | None | 5/1 through 7/7
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Season CLOSED Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec
Coastal Bays and their tribs and 1 Mile off Atlantic Coast (other areas closed)
150/person/day with permit
25/person/day without permit
Female harvest prohibited | |
| Horseshoe Crabs | None | 7/08 through 11/30
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Season CLOSED Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec
Catch limits by permit
25/person/day without permit
Female harvest prohibited | |
| Jonah Crab | 4-3/4" in width, measured at the widest part of the carapace (body shell). | Open Year Round
Permit required
No harvest of egg bearing crabs
Limits are based on permit and gear type. See regulation for details (COMAR 08.02.08.06) | |
| Scup | 9" | Open Year Round
Federal permit required
Limits set by ASMFC
Gear restrictions in regulation (COMAR 08.02.05.22) | |
| Shad, American or Hickory | ___ | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Shark, Aggregated Large Coastal Group | None | Season CLOSED 5/15 through 7/15
Silky, Tiger, Blacktip, Spinner, Bull, Lemon, Nurse
See public notice for limits
See regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are CLOSED. | |
| Shark, Blacknose | None | Open Year Round
8/vessel/trip
| |
| Shark, Hammerhead Group | None | Season CLOSED 5/15 through 7/15
Scalloped hammerhead, Great hammerhead, Smooth hammerhead
See public notice for limits
See regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are CLOSED. | |
| Shark, Non-Blacknose Small Coastal Group | None | Open Year Round
Atlantic sharpnose, Finetooth, Bonnethead
See regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are closed. | |
| Shark, Oceanic Whitetip | - | | |
| Shark, Pelagic Group | None | Open Year Round Porbeagle, Common thresher, Oceanic whitetip, Blue See regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
Oceanic whitetip - no possession allowed - see notice.
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are closed. | |
| Shark, Prohibited and Research Groups | ___ | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited
Prohibited: Sand Tiger, Bigeye Sandtiger, Whale, Basking, White, Dusky, Bignose, Galapagos, Night, Reef, Narrowtooth, Caribbean Sharpnose, Smalltail, Atlantic Angel, Longfin Mako, Bigeye Thresher, Sharpnose Sevengill, Bluntnose Sixgill, Bigeye Sixgill
Research: Sandbar | |
| Shark, Smoothhound (smooth dogfish) | None | Open Year Round
See Regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvesting requirements
smooth dogfish carcasses may be landed with corresponding fins removed from the carcass as long as the total retained catch on board at the time of offloading is composed of at least 25 percent, by weight, smooth dogfish | |
| Spanish Mackerel | 14" | The season will close at 12:01 a.m. November 16, 2024.
The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. January 1, 2025. 500 lbs/vessel/day or trip, whichever is longer, regardless of the number of licensees on board the vessel | |
| Spiny Dogfish | None | Open May 1 through April 30.
Limits established by public notice
No more than one spiny dogfish vessel limit may be landed from one vessel per day | |
| Spotted Sea Trout | 14" | Open Year Round
150 lbs/day or trip, whichever is longer
Trawl mesh min. 3-3/8" square or 3-3/4" diamond stretched
Gill net mesh min. 3" stretched | |
| Striped Bass | 24'' | Season CLOSED 6/1 through 9/30
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Permit required
Allocation determined annually | |
| Summer Flounder | Hook and Line:
16" January 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024
17 1/2" June 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024
All Other Gear: 14" | Open Year Round
Quotas by permit
Without a Permit: 100 lbs/person/day | |
| Tautog | 16" | 1/1 through 5/15 - 4/person/day
SEASON CLOSED 5/16 through 6/30
7/1 - 10/31 - 2/person/day
11/1 - 12/31 - 4/person/day
A pot and trap shall have hinges on one panel/door made of untreated hemp or jute string 3/16" diameter or smaller, magnesium alloy fasteners timed float releases (pop-up devices) or similar magnesium alloy fasteners, or ungalvinized/uncoated iron wire of 0.094" diameter | |
| Tilefish, Blueline, Golden, or Sand | Follow federal rules | Must follow federal rules (50 CFR 648) for catch limit, season, and gear.
May not catch, possess, or land when federal waters are closed.
May be eviscerated, but must be landed with the head and fins naturally attached to the carcass.
Must be sold to a federally permitted dealer. | |
| Weakfish | 12" | Open Year Round
100 lbs/day or trip whichever is longer
The weight of the weakfish may not exceed the weight of the catch of the other species on board the vessel
Trawl mesh min. 3-3/8" square or 3-3/4" diamond stretched mesh
Gill net mesh min. 3" stretched
Harvest with hook and line prohibited | |
