Recreational Fishing

Dear fishermen,

Please have patience with us as we work toward migrating all our regional content into this new website and improving your user experience.  We will do our best to point you to all current content whether it lives in this new site or is still on one of our regional office or science center websites. If you get a message to take our ForeSee customer satisfaction survey, we'd appreciate your feedback on how we're doing so far. 

Thank you,

The NOAA Fisheries Web Team

Federal Fishing Permits

Since January 1, 2011, a saltwater recreational fishing license or registration from any state or U.S. territory except Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, automatically registers you in the National Saltwater Angler Registry and you do not need to take further action. Otherwise, please visit the registry to ensure you are registered. If you plan on fishing anywhere for highly migratory species—such as tunas and billfish, or for bottomfish in Hawaii, check out the links below to get the permits you need.

• Atlantic highly migratory species permits

Federal Rules & Regulations 

In partnership with the regional fishery management councils, interstate marine fisheries commissions, international fisheries management organizations, and under the guidance of the Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act, NOAA Fisheries plays a key role in the implementation and enforcement of federal fishery rules and regulations in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (3 to 200 miles off shore). 

• Learn more about federal rules and regulations

State Regulations and Licenses 

If you are fishing in state waters (generally 0 to 3 miles off shore), you will need to reach out to your state fish and wildlife agency for a fishing license.

• Find state fishing regulations and licenses

Fishing Access Points

We provide a comprehensive, online database of public recreational fishing sites on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (Maine through Mississippi) and Puerto Rico.

• Search public recreational fishing sites—Click the “Guest Login” button to browse recreational access points in your state.

Responsible Fishing Practices

Learn what you can do to be a responsible steward of our ocean resources.

• Catch and release

• Seabird release

• Mako shark catch and release

• Fishing tips to protect sea turtles and marine mammals

• Fishing around seals and sea turtles in Hawai'i

Reef fish in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, like snapper and grouper, suffer from barotrauma when brought to the surface, and many die. But these fish can survive when released at depth using fish descenders. See how easy they are to use in the video below.

Research and Funding Opportunities

Find out how you can get involved in monitoring the health of our oceans and fish resources.

• Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program

• Cooperative Research Program

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

• Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program

• Shark Tagging

Other Resources

• FishSmart

• Marine debris

• Dolphin Smart

U.S. marine fisheries are the largest in the world—covering 4.4 million square miles of ocean. In the United States, we manage fisheries to support our domestic seafood supply, protect ecosystem health and sustainability, create jobs and support economic and social benefits, and provide fishing opportunities for all types of fishermen.

Learn more about fisheries management in the United States

Magnuson-Stevens Act 

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. Key objectives of the MSA are to prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, increase long-term economic and social benefits, and ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.

Learn more about the Magnuson-Stevens Act

Regional Fishery Management Councils 

The MSA created eight regional fishery management councils responsible for the fisheries in their region that require conservation and management. The councils develop and amend fishery management plans, set annual catch limits, develop research priorities, implement rebuilding plans, and conduct public meetings.

Find your regional fishery management councils

Commissions

We work closely with the Marine Fisheries Commissions and their member states to collect data and manage fisheries resources in shared coastal regions: 

• Atlantic

• Gulf

• Pacific

National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy and Implementation Plans

Released in 2015, the Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy guides agency planning, activities, and decision-making. Subsequent national and regional implementation plans identify goals, guiding principles, and actions in support of the development and maintenance of enduring and sustainable high quality saltwater recreational fisheries. Together these documents guide the course for our recreational fisheries work.

• Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy

• National and regional implementation plans

National Meetings

Effective recreational fisheries management starts with accurate scientific information about fish and fisheries. Through stock assessments and information from recreational fishermen on their fishing trips and catch along with other information, we can assess and maintain sustainable U.S. fish stocks. And we collect economic data to help us understand the impacts of marine recreational fisheries.

Marine Recreational Information Program 

The Marine Recreational Information Program is the state-regional-federal partnership responsible for developing, improving, and implementing surveys that measure how many trips saltwater anglers take and how many fish they catch. This vital information, combined with other data such as commercial catch and biological research, enables scientists and managers to assess and maintain sustainable U.S. fish stocks.

Learn more about the Marine Recreational Information Program

Stock Assessments 

NOAA Fisheries’ scientific stock assessments are critical to modern fisheries management. Using data gathered from fishermen and our own on-the-water scientific observations, a stock assessment describes the past and current status of a fish population or stock, answers questions about the size of the stock, and makes predictions about how a fishery will respond to current and future management measures.

Learn more about stock assessments

Recreational Fisheries Economics 

We collect economic data, develop economic models, and conduct analyses to describe the economic impacts associated with marine recreational fisheries, to estimate the level and distribution of benefits derived from those fisheries, to understand and predict the behavior of recreational fisheries participants, and to understand the outcomes of alternative management actions on recreational fisheries and their participants.

Learn more about how we use economic data