Update on Recreational Fishing Limits for Cod and Haddock

On August 14, NOAA Fisheries announced amendments to the federal recreational fishing limits for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock and Georges Bank cod. These federal rules are described in the table below with the updated limits described in bold font and the changes from the existing rules described in red strikethrough text. These federal rules will go into effect on Monday, August 14, 2023, and once in effect, will apply to all recreational fishing activity in federal waters or by for-hire vessels with a federal permit. More details about these federal rule changes can be found in NOAA’s bulletin and Federal Register Notice. 

The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) intends to promulgate complementary emergency regulations as expediently as possible and once such rules go into effect a subsequent advisory will be issued.  However, in the interim our state rules will be out of phase with the amended federal rules. During this interim period, private anglers and for-hire vessels without a federal permit fishing exclusively in state waters are required to adhere to state regulations. However, in instances when then new federal rules are more conservative than the state rules (e.g., the Gulf of Maine haddock bag limit), DMF encourages anglers to voluntarily comply with the federal rules to enhance conservation and management. 

For more information about the management of marine fisheries in Massachusetts, visit our website at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.