Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Regulations: Permits, Limits, and Gear

If you fish Massachusetts saltwater, the regulations start with a permit and get specific fast. Anyone 16 or older needs a recreational saltwater fishing permit, and from there the Massachusetts saltwater fishing regulations set species-by-species seasons, size limits, bag limits, gear requirements, and handling rules that the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) updates each year based on stock assessments.¹ Fines for getting any of it wrong start at $400 per violation and climb from there.²

Who Needs a Permit

Every angler 16 and older must carry a valid Massachusetts recreational saltwater fishing permit while fishing from shore, a pier, a bridge, or a private boat in state waters.¹ There is no boat-wide permit for private vessels. Each person on board needs their own.³

A few groups are exempt or get the permit free:

Children under 16 need no permit.
Anglers 60 and older still need to register, but the permit is free.
Disabled persons as defined under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 19C are exempt.
Paying passengers on a licensed for-hire charter or party boat are covered by the vessel’s permit.⁴
Non-residents holding a valid recreational saltwater permit from Connecticut, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island can fish Massachusetts waters under a reciprocity agreement.³

Permit Cost and Where to Buy It

The annual fee is $10 for both residents and non-residents aged 16 through 59. There is no price difference based on residency.¹ Anglers 60 and older pay nothing but still have to register.

You can buy online through the MassFishHunt portal or at an approved vendor. Registration takes a few minutes and asks for your name, address, phone number, and date of birth.⁴

Seasons, Size Limits, and Bag Limits

Massachusetts adjusts recreational seasons, size limits, and bag limits every year based on coastwide stock assessments coordinated with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and NOAA Fisheries. The numbers below reflect the most recently published DMF regulations, and because they shift, you should check the current-year DMF recreational fishing poster before any trip.

Striped Bass

Striped bass is the most heavily regulated recreational species in the state. As of the 2025 season, the fishery is open year-round with a one-fish daily limit and a slot size of 28 inches to less than 31 inches.⁵ Any fish under 28 inches, or 31 inches and above, must go back. The Atlantic stock remains overfished, with a rebuilding deadline of 2029 and current projections estimating less than a 50% chance of hitting the target.⁶

Black Sea Bass, Scup, Summer Flounder, and Tautog

The four other species most recreational anglers target have their own 2025 limits:⁷

Black sea bass: open May 17 through September 1. Minimum size 16.5 inches, four-fish daily limit.
Scup (porgy): open May 1 through December 31. Minimum size 9.5 inches from shore or 11 inches from a vessel. Daily limit of 30.
Summer flounder (fluke): open May 24 through September 23. Minimum size 16.5 inches from shore or 17.5 inches from a vessel. Five-fish daily limit.
Tautog: open April 1 through December 31, with the daily limit changing through the year — three fish in spring, one fish in June and July, three fish from August through mid-October, and five fish from mid-October through year’s end. Fish must measure between 16 and 21 inches, with only one fish per person per day allowed to exceed 21 inches.

The split between shore and vessel minimums for scup and fluke trips up a lot of anglers. If you fillet fish on the boat, keep the racks until you reach shore so an officer can measure them.

Bluefish

Bluefish are managed jointly by the ASMFC and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. For 2026, the federal specifications set the daily bag limit at five fish per person for private anglers and seven fish per person on for-hire vessels, and Massachusetts applies those numbers in state waters.⁸

Gear Rules

DMF defines recreational fishing as fishing with hand-held gear other than nets, so recreational anglers cannot use gill nets, trawl nets, or any commercial-style netting gear in state waters.⁹

Circle Hooks for Striped Bass

When fishing for striped bass with whole or cut natural bait, you must use inline circle hooks. The only exception is natural bait attached to an artificial lure, such as a tube-and-worm rig. Any striped bass caught on a non-compliant hook has to be released immediately.⁵ Circle hooks are also required when targeting coastal sharks with natural bait, with the same exemption for artificial lures and flies.⁹

No Gaff on Striped Bass

You cannot use a gaff or any lethal device to land or release a striped bass. Only non-lethal tools like rubber-mesh nets are allowed.⁹ Gaffing a striper is a violation even when the fish is within the legal slot. Given how many bass get released under the current slot limit, how you handle fish matters: wet hands, no touching the gills or eyes, support the body horizontally, and keep air exposure under 60 seconds whenever you can.¹⁰

Fishing Beyond Three Miles

Massachusetts state regulations apply from shore out to three nautical miles. Beyond that line you are in the federal Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which runs to 200 nautical miles and falls under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction.¹¹ Federal bag limits, size limits, and seasons for species like cod, haddock, and pollock can differ from state rules, so anglers heading offshore need to check both.

Your Massachusetts permit automatically registers you in the National Saltwater Angler Registry, so no separate federal registration is needed for general recreational fishing in the EEZ. If you plan to target highly migratory species — bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish, sharks, or billfish — you need a federal HMS Angling permit. It is free but must be on board the vessel.¹²

HMS Reporting

Landing a bluefin tuna, swordfish, or billfish triggers a mandatory report within 24 hours of returning from your trip. You can report online through the NOAA HMS Permit Shop, by phone at (888) 872-8862, or through the HMS catch reporting app.¹³ Each fish is reported individually by weight in pounds, and dead discards of bluefin tuna must also be reported. Missing the deadline is a separate federal violation from any bag-limit issue.

Right Whales and Marine Mammals

Federal regulations under 50 CFR § 224.103 prohibit approaching within 500 yards of a North Atlantic right whale by any means. This applies to all vessels, recreational fishing boats included, with no exception for accidentally drifting closer while on anchor. If a right whale surfaces near you, the legal obligation is to move away. Vessels 65 feet and longer must also comply with a 10-knot speed limit in designated Seasonal Management Areas along the Atlantic coast.¹⁴

The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal in U.S. waters, and harassment is defined broadly enough to include disrupting feeding or migration.¹⁵ If you accidentally hook a seal or entangle gear around a marine mammal, do not try to free it yourself — call the NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline. Intentionally feeding or approaching marine mammals for a closer look also violates the MMPA.

Penalties for Violations

Under the general penalty provision for Chapter 130 violations, fines range from $400 to $10,000 per offense, and imprisonment is possible.² Fishing without a recreational saltwater permit carries a separate fine set by the DMF director on a per-offense basis.¹⁶ Equipment used in the violation can be confiscated, and repeat offenders face permit suspension.

Fines for keeping an undersized fish, exceeding a bag limit, or fishing out of season fall under that same $400-to-$10,000 range. Environmental Police officers do not need to catch you in the act: possession of an illegal fish at the boat ramp or fillet table is enough. Officers routinely measure fish at public landings during peak season, and not knowing the current year’s regulations is not a defense.

Lacey Act Exposure

If you transport illegally caught fish across state lines, federal law adds another layer. The Lacey Act makes it a crime to buy, sell, or transport fish taken in violation of any state law. A misdemeanor trafficking charge carries up to one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine. If the fish are worth more than $350 or you knew the catch was illegal, the charge can escalate to a felony with up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. False labeling of illegally caught fish adds another potential felony charge on top. A $400 state fine for keeping an extra fish becomes a federal case the moment that fish crosses the Massachusetts border in a cooler.

1
Mass.gov. Get a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit
2
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I Title XIX Chapter 130 Section 2
3
Mass.gov. Who Needs a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit
4
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I Title XIX Chapter 130 Section 17C
5
Mass.gov. Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations
6
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Atlantic Striped Bass Addendum III Measures to Support Rebuilding
7
Mass.gov. 2025 Recreational Fishing Limits
8
NOAA. 2026 and Projected 2027 Specifications for the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Fisheries
9
Mass.gov. 322 CMR 6.00 – Regulation of Catches
10
NOAA Fisheries. Catch and Release Fishing Best Practices
11
NOAA Fisheries. Resources for Recreational Fishing in U.S. Federal Waters
12
eCFR. 50 CFR Part 635 – Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
13
NOAA Fisheries. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Reporting
14
Regulations.gov. North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule
15
eCFR. 50 CFR Part 216 Subpart B – Prohibitions
16
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 130 Section 17D – Penalties for Violation of Section 17C