Commissioner Declarations

Commissioner Declarations

The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection has statutory and regulatory authority under several circumstances to declare and adjust closed seasons, close areas to fishing, specify conditions for operating commercial fisheries, and to establish and adjust possession and length limits. Declaration authority may be used to protect species threatened with undue depletion, to adjust harvest levels consistent with efficient management of a species, and to conform to regulations adopted under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act or by other regional management authorities such as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Following are active Commissioner Declarations establishing rules for both recreational and commercial fisheries:

2026

D26-02 Commercial fishing regulations (supersedes D25-03)

D26-01 Sturgeon, shark, and American shad regulations (supersedes D25-01)

Atlantic Salmon open season, daily creel limit, minimum length and method of taking

 

Past Commissioner Declarations are available on the Fisheries Information and Publication webpage under "Regulations/Commissioner's Declarations".

 

Content last updated in February 2026.