Bluefish (also known as Chopper, Blue, Tailor) in New Jersey. Minimum legal size, daily bag limit, possession limit — verified against the NJ Fish & Wildlife guide, 2026.
In New Jersey, Bluefish has no minimum legal size and the daily bag limit is 5 per person/day (7 on for-hire party/charter vessels). Season note: Open Jan 1 - Dec 31 (no closed season).
Open Jan 1 - Dec 31 (no closed season).
No minimum size. Possession limit depends on platform: Private/Shore Angler = 5 fish; For-Hire (party/charter) vessel = 7 fish. STATE WATERS value. The split private/shore (5) vs for-hire (7) possession limit is a coastwide ASMFC measure applied in NJ; the for-hire 7-fish limit applies on party/charter vessels (federal-permitted). Federal waters follow the same recreational possession structure.
These limits are pulled from the NJ Fish & Wildlife marine recreational fishing regulations. Last verified September 2026.
Always check the official guide before keeping any fish. Regulations change. New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife updates its guide annually and occasionally mid-year. Fines for over-bag or undersized fish are significant.
New Jersey requires no paid saltwater licence, but anglers aged 16 or older must enrol (free) in the NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program. NJ saltwater registry.
Olli-Mikael Vaittinen has fished his whole life. Fifteen years of fly fishing, guiding seasons on Norway's Lakselva — his favourite Atlantic salmon river — and a blue marlin landed in Vava'u, Tonga. Founder of Fishare — the app that puts the data behind the decisions every angler makes on the water.
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