Sharks (small coastal, large coastal and pelagic groups) Regulations in Louisiana (2026)

Where

Statewide

Bag limit

Persons possessing a commercial state shark permit but no federal shark permit shall not possess on any trip, or land from any trip, or sell, barter, trade, or exchange in excess 55 sharks from the large coastal species group, taken from Louisiana state waters.

Season

Large coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; large coastal sharks are blacktip, bull, great hammerhead, lemon, nurse, sandbar, scalloped hammerhead, silky, smooth hammerhead, spinner, and tiger sharks. Small coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; small coastal sharks are Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, and finetooth sharks.

• C.In addition to all other licenses and permits required by law, a valid original commercial state shark permit shall be annually required for persons commercially taking shark from Louisiana waters and for persons selling, exchanging, or bartering sharks as required by law; the valid original permit shall be in immediate possession of the permittee while engaged in fishing for, possessing, selling, bartering, trading, or exchanging shark.
• E.1.All persons who do not possess a commercial state shark permit issued by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and, if applicable, a federal commercial directed or incidental limited shark permit or federal shark research permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, are limited to a recreational possession limit. All persons who do not possess a Louisiana commercial state shark permit and, if applicable, a federal commercial directed or incidental limited shark permit or federal shark research permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the federal fishery management plan for Atlantic sharks, shall not sell, barter, trade, exchange or attempt to sell, barter, trade or exchange any sharks, or possess any sharks in excess of a recreational possession limit. Sharks taken incidental to menhaden fishing, that are retained on the vessel as part of the harvest, may be retained and sold only as a mixed part of the total harvest, and shall not be retained, held, or sold, purchased, bartered, traded, or exchanged separately. Sharks retained as a result of menhaden fishing shall not exceed legal bycatch allowances for menhaden fishing as provided for in R.S. 56:324.
• G.Those persons possessing a federal commercial directed or incidental limited access shark permit or federal shark research permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the federal fishery management plan for Atlantic sharks are limited to daily take, trip and possession limits as specified in that federal permit. Regardless of where fishing, a person aboard a vessel for which a federal shark permit has been issued shall not retain, possess, barter, trade, or exchange shark of any species group for which the commercial quota has been reached and the season closed in federal waters.
• 5.All sharks possessed aboard a commercial fishing vessel shall have fins including the tail intact and naturally attached to the shark carcass by at least some portion of uncut skin.
• LDWF Commercial Saltwater Finfish Seasons (https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/commercial-saltwater-finfish-seasons): Shark — Large coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; large coastal sharks are blacktip, bull, great hammerhead, lemon, nurse, sandbar, scalloped hammerhead, silky, smooth hammerhead, spinner, and tiger sharks. Small coastal sharks: open January 1 until the quota is reached; small coastal sharks are Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, and finetooth sharks.

Official source