Black sea bass size and bag limits by state
The East Coast black sea bass rulebook, north to south. Managed under the ASMFC / Mid-Atlantic Council joint plan north of Cape Hatteras; South Atlantic Council south of it. Core fishery: Maine to Florida, two stocks split at Cape Hatteras. Rules on file here for 13 states, Maine to Florida.
- MEMaine
- Size
- 13" minimum total length
- Bag
- 10 fish per angler per day
- Season
- May 19 – September 21 and October 18 – December 31
- MAMassachusetts
- Size
- 16" minimum (not including tail filament)
- Bag
- 4 fish (May 16 – Aug 31); 2 fish (Sept 1 – Oct 14)
- Season
- May 16 – August 31; September 1 – October 14
- RIRhode Island
- Size
- 16" minimum (not including tail tendril)
- Bag
- General recreational: 3 fish per person per day; party/charter: 4 fish (May 16 – Aug 31), 6 fish (Sept 1 – Dec 31)
- Season
- May 16 – December 31 (closed January 1 – May 15)
- CTConnecticut
- Size
- 15.5" minimum (excluding tail filament)
- Bag
- 4 fish per angler per day (private/shore); party/charter paying passengers: 4 fish May 16–Aug 31, 6 fish Sept 1–Dec 31
- Season
- Private/shore: May 16–November 25 (no mid-season closure); party/charter: May 16–December 31
- NYNew York
- Size
- 16" minimum (excluding tail filament)
- Bag
- 3 fish (May 16–Aug 31); 6 fish (Sept 1–Dec 31)
- Season
- May 16–August 31 and September 1–December 31
- NJNew Jersey
- Size
- 12.5" minimum (excluding tail filament)
- Bag
- 10 fish (May 15–Jun 21); 1 fish (Jun 22–Sep 22); 10 fish (Sep 23–Oct 31); 15 fish (Nov 1–Dec 31)
- Season
- May 15–December 31 (no gaps), limits by period
- DEDelaware
- Size
- 12.5" minimum
- Bag
- 15
- Season
- May 1 – Dec 31
- MDMaryland
- Size
- 12.5" (excluding tail filament)
- Bag
- 15 per day
- Season
- May 1 – Dec 31
- VAVirginia
- Size
- 13" minimum
- Bag
- 15
- Season
- May 11 – Dec 31 (2026)
- NCNorth Carolina
- Size
- 13" total length minimum (excluding tail filament)
- Bag
- North of Cape Hatteras: 15 per person per day; South of Cape Hatteras: 7 per person per day
- Season
- North of Cape Hatteras: May 1–Dec 31, 2026; South of Cape Hatteras: no season stated in the state proclamation (FF-40-2026)
- SCSouth Carolina
- Size
- 13" total length minimum
- Bag
- 7 per person per day
- Season
- No closed season listed
- GAGeorgia
- Size
- 12" total length minimum (state waters)
- Bag
- 15 per person per day (state waters)
- Season
- Open all year
- FLFlorida (Atlantic)
- Size
- 13" total length minimum (Atlantic)
- Bag
- 7 per person per day (Atlantic)
- Season
- No closed season listed
Status is derived from each row's season dates on Oct 13, 2026. Rules change in season, and the agency page controls. A state missing from this list is one we have not verified yet. It may still have a rule.
The trap on this fish
Black sea bass seasons often come in several windows with different bag limits. Read the whole season line, not the first date.
Federal waters
North of Cape Hatteras, federal recreational measures come from the Mid-Atlantic Council and NOAA Fisheries. South of Cape Hatteras, black sea bass is a South Atlantic snapper-grouper species with its own federal rules. NOAA Fisheries · black sea bass ↗
From the news desk
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