Atlantic Sturgeon Prohibition
Effective May 8, 2026MGL c. 130, §§ 2, 17A, 80, 100A and 104Division of Marine Fisheries
- (1) Definition. Atlantic Sturgeon means that species of fish known as Acipenser oxyrhynchus.
- (2) Purpose. Massachusetts needs to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Atlantic Sturgeon Management Plan that requests states to adopt either an elimination of all sturgeon harvest or a minimum size of seven feet. Since there is no directed fishery for sturgeon in Massachusetts and the state has already declared the sturgeon an endangered species, a prohibition on the landing and possession of sturgeon is appropriate. Now, both the Atlantic sturgeon and the endangered short-nosed sturgeon cannot be landed or possessed.
- (3) Prohibition. It is prohibited and unlawful for any person to land or possess any Atlantic sturgeon.