Massachusetts Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater LegalFreshwater Permitted

Massachusetts is a coastal state where spearfishing is legal in marine waters and treated as a form of recreational fishing: it is defined as taking fish with a speargun and is subject to all size, season, and bag limits for the target species.

License

Required: Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit (marine); Freshwater Fishing License (inland)

Resident: Saltwater permit: $10 (under 60), free (60+), same price for residents and non-residents. Freshwater license (resident): $40 annual; free for minors 15-17; $20 for ages 65-69; free 70+; free for qualifying disabled residents (a one-time $5 Wildlands Conservation Stamp applies to the first license purchase). Recreational lobster diving permit (resident): $55.

Non-resident: Saltwater permit: $10 (under 60), free (60+), Massachusetts charges the same for non-residents, and honors valid CT, NH, or RI recreational saltwater permits by reciprocity. Freshwater license (non-resident): $50 annual; $8 for minors 15-17; $30.50 for a 3-day license. Recreational lobster diving permit (non-resident): $75.

Gear rules

• Spearguns: Marine: legal, DMF defines spearfishing itself as taking fish with a speargun, and it is a recognized recreational method subject to all.
• Pole spears: Not named as a separate category in Massachusetts regulation.
• On scuba: SCUBA is permitted for marine spearfishing; Massachusetts imposes no general ban on diving to spearfish, and it explicitly protects diver.
• Striped bass, smelt, shad, and lobster may not be taken by spearfishing in marine waters (striped bass, smelt, and shad are hook-and-line.
• Inland spearing/bow-and-arrow is limited to eels, carp, and suckers; all other (game) fish must be taken by angling only
• No arrows may be released within 150 feet of any state or hard-surfaced highway for the purpose of taking fish
• SCUBA/skin divers must display a diver's flag and stay within 100 feet of it while at or near the surface

Do not spear

• Striped bass, may not be taken by spearfishing
• Smelt and shad, may not be taken by spearfishing in marine waters; DMF names them alongside striped bass as species that may only be taken by hook and line, not by spear
• Lobster, may not be speared; recreational divers may take lobster only by hand or tickle stick with a lobster permit endorsed for diving, subject to the area-specific carapace minimum
• In fresh water, all game fish

Area restrictions

• Inland: no arrows may be released within 150 feet of any state or hard-surfaced highway for the purpose of taking fish
• Marine: divers must remain within 100 feet of a displayed diver's flag while at or near the surface
• Marine: diver access to commonwealth tidelands for skin/scuba diving is protected during daylight hours across public swimming/recreation land owned.
• Federal (offshore) waters: species managed by NOAA Fisheries are subject to federal rules in addition to state limits

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) for coastal/saltwater; Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) for inland/freshwater: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-marine-fisheries