Fishing regulations
Browse cited saltwater fishing regulation references, season windows, limits, and official source links by jurisdiction.
The /regulations catalog is a reference view for selected saltwater recreational fishing rules. It normalizes cited source rows so you can compare season windows, status, and limits without replacing the rules published by the relevant authority.
This catalog is reference information, not permission to fish or retain a catch. Rules can vary by location, method, vessel, species identification, and emergency closure. Verify the applicable official rules before you go.
Supported jurisdictions
The catalog currently has 23 supported jurisdictions. It is a selected reference subset, not a complete rulebook for every U.S. state or territory.
Each state view also links to its configured source and shows the source's update and check timestamps. Follow the source link for the authority's current details, proclamations, emergency orders, and local qualifications.
Read the catalog
Select a jurisdiction, then review one row per listed species. The table provides:
- Listed season windows — a month-by-month view of the normalized schedule.
- Bag — for an OPEN or CLOSING SOON row, the catalog first shows the rule's
possession_limitwhen present; otherwise it shows the active season window'sbag_limit. - Min size — the listed minimum size in inches.
- Listing — the current status badge described below.
On the detail page, a possession_limit value is labeled LISTED LIMIT. These values are references from the cited rule, not a universal permission to retain a catch. When a status is not current and verified, the catalog does not present stale values as current limits. Closed and verify rows can show — in the limit columns; a detail page may retain a clearly labeled last-listed/reference value.
Normalized season windows
Normalized rules use one of three rule kinds:
year_round— the rule is listed as open year-round and has no season-window rows.scheduled— the rule has one or more season windows.closed— the rule is explicitly closed and has an empty season-window list.
A scheduled window has a start and end month/day in MM-DD form. A window may cross the end of the calendar year, such as a season that starts in the fall and ends the following year. A window can also carry an optional non-negative integer bag_limit; a value of 0 represents no retention for that window.
The normalized record can also include:
- Minimum and maximum size in inches. A maximum can be inclusive (
maximum) or exclusive (less than). - A possession-limit note and applicability notes.
- The authority and citation used for the row.
- The source URL, source-updated date, source-checked timestamp, effective year, and whether the row is federal.
Overlapping windows, malformed windows, or a rule whose window shape does not match its rule kind cannot safely select one limit. Those rows fail closed to VERIFY.
Status badges
The status evaluator uses the launch site's IANA time zone and the current effective year. CLOSING SOON uses a seven-day closing window by default.
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OPEN | A current, provenance-backed rule has an active year-round or scheduled window with retention available. Current bag and minimum-size values can be shown. |
| CLOSING SOON | The active scheduled window closes within seven calendar days. Current values can be shown, but check the linked authority before you go. |
| CLOSED | The rule is explicitly closed, no scheduled window is active, or the active window has a bag_limit of 0. |
| VERIFY | The app cannot safely authorize a current status: the row is reference-only, provenance is incomplete, the source check is stale, the effective year does not match, the time zone is invalid, or the rule is invalid/ambiguous. |
VERIFY is not the same as CLOSED. It means the catalog does not have enough current, unambiguous evidence to label the rule open or closed.
Source freshness and official links
A source check is fresh for seven days. Missing, invalid, future, or older-than-seven-day checks cannot authorize a current schedule badge. The catalog highlights stale sources and tells you that statuses may not reflect the latest official rules.
Use the SOURCE link in each state or species view to open the configured public authority page. The source bar shows the latest available UPDATED and CHECKED values and the jurisdiction-specific disclaimer. Those disclaimers explain when a public page is only an informational summary—for example, when statutes, administrative code, proclamations, or emergency orders remain authoritative.
Always verify the current official regulations immediately before fishing or retaining a catch. DontDieFishing provides cited listings and status guidance; it does not grant permission and cannot account for every local or emergency rule.