13-188 C.M.R. ch. 43
43.01 Bluefish Limits
Except as provided in 43.01(A)(1) it is unlawful for any person to take, catch, kill, or possess more than 5 bluefish per day until December 31, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027 it is unlawful for any person to take, catch, kill, or possess more than 3 bluefish per day.
The daily limit and possession limit shall not apply to persons licensed under 12 M.R.S. §6501 and §6421. The possession limit shall not apply to persons licensed under 12 M.R.S. §6851 and §6852.
B. It is unlawful to use multiple (more than two) barbed or barbless treble hooks on any artificial lure or flies while fishing for bluefish.
C. It is unlawful to use any hook other than a circle hook when using bait. For purposes of this chapter the definition of circle hook means “a non-offset hook with a point that points 90° back toward the shaft of the hook”.
For the purposes of this chapter, bait is defined as any marine or freshwater organism live or dead, whole or parts thereof, and earthworms, including but not limited to, night crawlers (Lumbricus terrestris).
D. Any striped bass killed during the take of bluefish becomes part of the daily bag limit in accordance with Chapter 42.02.
May 9, 1992
April 21, 1997
December 20, 2010
August 10, 2021-section .01(C)
April 2, 2026 – section 1(A) - EMERGENCY
June 30, 2026 – section 1(A) – filing 2026-138