State and Federal Permit Requirements
Shark Anglers | State Waters (Shore to 3-miles offshore) | Federal Waters (3 to 200 -miles offshore) |
Permit Requirement | DEC Recreational Marine Fishing | NOAA Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Permit(1) |
(1) All HMS permits are vessel-based permits. If you are fishing from an HMS-permitted vessel, you must comply with the permit requirements when fishing in both state and federal waters. For specific information about the rules associated with the HMS permit, please review the HMS Compliance Guide for Recreational Fishing.
Sharks that may be Retained
Anglers with a valid New York Recreational Marine Fishing Registry are permitted to catch & release, or harvest, non-prohibited shark species in New York State waters. Anglers must follow the shark fishing regulations described below, and anglers must also adhere to all minimum size and possession limits for sharks being harvested.
Some examples of commonly encountered non-prohibited shark species found in New York State waters include Blue, Common Thresher, Spinner, Smooth Hammerhead, Atlantic Blacktip sharks, as well as Smooth Dogfish and Spiny Dogfish.
For information about how to identify shark species, review the NOAA Fisheries Shark Identification Placard.
For more information about these species, visit the Sharks webpage.