IE: no pre-prepared fluke bellies salted in a jar - you can only use a freshly caught fish on the day you are out fishing.

1. Dip nets 24" in diameter or less for the taking of herring for live bait.
2. Bait seines 50 feet long or less.
3. Cast nets 20 feet in diameter or less.
4. Lift or umbrella nets four feet square or less.
5. Not more than five (5) killipots.
6. Not more than two miniature fykes or ports for the taking of eels for bait.

1. As of 2006, the state is gathering information on blue claw crabs and requests all crabbers fill out voluntary form.
   See their website: http://www.state.nj.us/
   Link to form: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/crabrptform.pdf
2. Crabs may be taken recreationally with hand lines, manually operated collapsible traps or scoop nets without a license. A non-commercial crab pot license is required for the use of not more than two (2) non-collapsible Chesapeake-style crab pots or two (2) trot lines to harvest crabs.
3. It is illegal to harvest or possess more than one bushel of crabs per day per person or offer for sale any crabs without having in your possession a valid commercial crabbing license.
4. Minimum size of crabs - See Regulations page
5. All female crabs with eggs attached and all undersized crabs shall be returned to the water immediately.
6. Recreational trot lines shall not exceed 150 feet in length with a maximum of 25 baits.
7. All pots and trot lines shall be marked with the identification number of the owner.
8. All crab pots must be tended at least once every 72 hours.
9. No floating line may be used on any crab pot or crab pot buoy.
10. No crab pot shall be placed in any area that would obstruct or impede navigation or in any creek less than 50-feet wide.
11. Only the owner, his agent or a law enforcement officer may raise or remove contents of a legally set fishing device.
12. Crabs taken with a bait seine may be retained for personal use only if the fisherman possesses a bait net license, and may not be bartered or sold unless the fisherman possesses a commercial crab license.
13. No crabs may be harvested from the Newark Bay Complex. For more information see the state website for information on health advisories. Visit NJFGW Website.
14. Crab Pot licence seasons:
    Delaware Bay and tributaries--
    April 6 to Dec. 4;
    All other waters--March 15 to Nov. 30.
    
    The following waters are closed to the use of crab pots and trot lines:
    Cumberland Co.: Cohansey River and creeks named Back, Cedar, Nantuxent, Fortesque, Oranoken, and Dividing
    Cape May Co.: West and Bidwell Creeks and the Cape May Canal
    Atlantic Co.: Hammock Cove (Dry Bay)
    Ocean Co.: on East shore of Barnegat Bay, that area of Sedge Islands Wildlife Management Area enclosed by a line drawn from the northern bank of Fishing Creek on Island Beach State Park to the northern tip of the Sedge Island (Hensler Island), then south from point to point along the western side of the Sedge Islands WMA and terminating on the most southwestern point of Island Beach State Park.
15. The Division will issue a non-commercial crab dredge license for the harvest of not more than one bushel of crabs during the crab dredge season. Crabs so taken may not be sold or offered for barter. There is a fee of $15.00 for this non-commercial crab dredge license. Call the Marine Fisheries Administration at 609-748-2040.

1. All persons must be licensed to harvest any shellfish. Shellfish means any species of benthic mollusks (except conch) including hard clams, soft clams, surf clams, mussels and oysters.
2. It is illegal to harvest shellfish from condemned waters, even for bait purposes. It is also illegal to harvest shellfish including surf clams from beaches adjacent to water classified as condemned. Shellfish water classification charts are available from license agents, any state shellfish office or Marine Police Station. Charts are updated annually.
3. Shellfish harvesting is prohibited before sunrise, after sunset and on Sundays.
4. Harvesting of shellfish on public grounds is restricted to the use of hand implements.
5. It is illegal to harvest shellfish from leased grounds. These grounds are delineated by stakes or buoys set by the lease holder. Charts of the leases may be examined at the Nacote Creek or Bivalve Shellfish Offices during regular business hours.

1. No holder of any recreational shellfish license may take more than 150 clams per day. Only certified shellfish dealers may purchase clams from commercial harvesters.
2. A non-resident recreational shellfish license is valid only during the months of June, July, August and September.
3. Anyone engaged in any shellfish harvesting activity with someone holding a commercial shellfish license must also possess their own commercial shellfish license.
4. It is illegal to dredge shellfish. Hand implements are the only legal harvest method.
5. The minimum size of hard clams that may be harvested is 1-1/2 inches in length. Clams less than 1-1/2 inches in length must be immediately returned to the bottom from which they were taken. Specific seasons, regulations and size limits exist for oyster beds in Great Bay, Delware Bay, plus the Mullica, Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe riers. Check with the nearest shellfish office (Nacote Creek or Delaware Bay) for these detailed regulations.
6. It is illegal to harvest shellfish on Sunday except on the seasonal waters of the Navesink and Shrewbury Rivers between November 1 and April 30.
7. Shells taken in the process of harvesting oysters must be culled from the live oysters and returned immediately to the area from which they were taken.

1. Shellfish may be sold only to certified dealer. All persons selling shellfish commercially must tage each container listing date of harvest, name and address of the harvester and the waters from which the shellfish were harvested.
2. It is illegal to dredge shellfish on public grounds. All harvesting on public grounds is restricted to the use of hand implements.
3. Shells taken in the process of harvesting oysters must be culled from the live oysters and returned immediately to the area from which they were taken.
4. The minimum size of hard clams that may be harvested is 1-1/2 inches in length. Clams less than 1-1/2 inches in length must be immediately returned to the bottom from which they were taken. Specific seasons, regulations and size limits exist for oyster beds in Great Bay, Delware Bay, plus the Mullica, Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe riers. Check with the nearest shellfish office (Nacote Creek or Delaware Bay) for these detailed regulations.
5. The minimum size of hard clams that may be harvested is 1-1/2 inches in length. Clams less than 1-1/2 inches in length must be immediately returned to the bottom from which they were taken. Specific seasons, regulations and size limits exist for oyster beds in Great Bay, Delware Bay, plus the Mullica, Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe riers. Check with the nearest shellfish office (Nacote Creek or Delaware Bay) for these detailed regulations.
6. It is illegal to harvest shellfish on Sunday except on the seasonal waters of the Navesink and Shrewbury Rivers between November 1 and April 30.