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Saltwater Fishing

Florida › Fishing › Saltwater Fishing › Sharks and Prohibited Species

Sharks and Prohibited Species

Issued: July 2025
New regulations are highlighted in red
For the most current recreational saltwater fishing regulations, visit the FWC Saltwater Recreational Fishing Regulations page.

Regulations apply to state waters of the Gulf and Atlantic
State waters extend 9 miles from shore on the Gulf and 3 miles from shore on the Atlantic coast.

« Spearing Prohibited

p Must remain in whole condition (removal of gills and guts allowed).

u Measured as total length. Total length is the straight line distance from the most forward part of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed together while the fish is lying on its side.

n State regulations apply in federal waters.

l Additional saltwater fishing gear rules apply. For full regulations, visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

T Harvest prohibited by or with the use of any multiple hook (any hook with two or more points and a common shaft) in conjunction with live or dead natural bait.

X State Reef Fish Angler designation required when fishing for select reef fish species from a private vessel in the Gulf of America or Atlantic Ocean.

Sharks

Daily Recreational Bag Limit:

  • 1 per harvester or 2 per vessel per day, whichever is less.

Remarks

  • The retainable sharks are managed as a group for bag limit purposes. In other words, you can only harvest one shark per day and the shark that you harvest must be one of the retainable species.
  • Hook-and-line gear only.
  • Shore-based Shark Fishing educational course and permit required.
  • See list of prohibited species below.

Retainable Sharks with a 54" fork length minimum p« T

Blue, porbeagle (not illustrated).

Bull

Illustration of a bull shark with a stocky body, broad head, and grayish-brown coloring, commonly found in coastal and freshwater habitats.
Bull shark – a powerful shark species recognized for its stocky build and ability to live in both saltwater and freshwater environments.

Nurse

Illustration of a nurse shark with a long, slender body, broad head, and small barbels near its mouth, commonly found in warm shallow waters.
Nurse shark – a bottom-dwelling shark recognized by its barbels and preference for warm, shallow coastal waters.

Common Thresher

Illustration of a thresher shark with a long, whip-like tail fin used to stun prey, showing a sleek body and pointed snout.
Thresher shark – known for its exceptionally long tail fin, which it uses to hunt schools of fish in offshore waters.

Spinner

Illustration of a spinner shark with a streamlined body, pointed snout, and long fins, known for leaping and spinning out of the water.
Spinner shark – a fast, agile shark recognized for its spinning leaps while feeding on schools of fish in coastal and offshore waters.

Retainable Sharks with no minimum size limit p« T

Finetooth, Smooth Dogfish, Florida and Gulf Smoothhounds (not illustrated).

Atlantic Sharpnose

Illustration of an Atlantic sharpnose shark, a slender shark species with a pointed snout, long body, and white spots along its sides.
Atlantic sharpnose shark – a small coastal shark with a slim body and sharp snout, commonly found in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Bonnethead

Illustration of a bonnethead shark, a small hammerhead species with a distinctive shovel-shaped head and slender gray body.
Bonnethead shark – a unique hammerhead species recognized by its rounded, shovel-shaped head, often found in shallow coastal waters.

Blacknose

Illustration of a blacknose shark, a slim coastal shark with a gray body and a distinct dark smudge on the tip of its snout.
Blacknose shark – a small, fast-swimming coastal species recognized by the dark spot on its snout and often seen in warm Atlantic and Gulf waters.

Blacktip

Illustration of a blacktip shark, a sleek gray shark with a white belly and distinct black tips on its fins.
Blacktip shark – a fast and agile predator recognized by the black markings on its fins, commonly found in coastal waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Prohibited Species

It is unlawful to harvest, possess, land, purchase, sell or exchange the following species:

Oceanic Whitetip, Shortfin Mako, Goliath grouper (Jewfish, without harvest permit), Nassau Grouper, Sawfish, Atlantic Angel Shark, Basking Shark, Bigeye Sand Tiger Shark, Bigeye Sixgill Shark, Bigeye Thresher Shark, Bignose Shark, Caribbean Reef Shark, Caribbean Sharpnose Shark, Dusky Shark, Galapagos Shark, Lemon Shark, Longfin Mako Shark, Narrowtooth Shark, Night Shark, Silky Shark, Sand Tiger Shark, Sandbar Shark, Sevengill Shark, Sixgill Shark, Smalltail Shark, Spiny Dogfish, Whale Shark, White Shark, Tiger Shark, Greater, Scalloped and Smooth Hammerhead Shark, Manta Ray, Devil Ray, Spotted Eagle Ray, Longbill Spearfish, Mediterranean Spearfish, Sturgeon, Queen Conch, Calico Scallop, Stony, Hard, Black and Fire Corals, Sea Fans, Bahama Starfish, and Longspine Urchin. Harvest of live rock in state waters is prohibited. Puffer fish harvest is prohibited in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties.

All art: © Diane Rome Peebles, except blueline tilefish, golden tilefish and snowy grouper (Duane Raver); lionfish (FWC); and crustaceans and mollusks

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