Puchase and Sale of Fish

Fish that are salable

Fish that are salable at any time include those species in the Statewide Seasons and Limits table for which there is no closed season and no minimum length. A baitfish license is required to sell baitfish in New York.

Exceptions:

The following fish only if taken outside of New York State:

⊲ Coho, Chinook, and pink salmon, ⊲ Atlantic salmon, ⊲ Lake trout, ⊲ Pickerel, ⊲ Crappie, ⊲ Northern pike, and ⊲ Walleye.

Additional regulations may apply to the sale of these imported fish; contact a DEC Regional Office for more information.

Exception: American eel is the only fish taken from the Quebec portion of Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River that may be transported into and sold in New York State.

Fish that are non-salable

Exceptions:

• Black bass, Atlantic salmon, muskellunge, and trout taken on a licensed fishing preserve or private hatchery and properly tagged or documented may be sold
• Sale of catfish taken in Lake Ontario and its tributaries upstream to the 1st barrier impassable by fish and in the St. Lawrence River is prohibited.
• Sale of American eel from the Hudson, Harlem, and East rivers is prohibited, except for use as bait.
• Eggs taken from Chinook salmon and coho salmon caught in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, or their tributaries upstream to the 1st impassable barrier may be sold only by sport fishermen for use as bait.