N.J. Admin. Code § 7:25-14.10

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:25-14.10 - Size of crabs taken

(a) No person shall take from any tidal waters of this State or have in his or her possession any peeler or shedder blue crab measuring less than three inches across the back from the tip of the longest lateral spine to the other or a soft blue crab measuring less than three and one-half inches across the back from the tip of the longest lateral spine to the other, or hard blue crab measuring less than four and one-half inches across the back from tip to tip of spike.

1. For purposes of this section, a peeler or shedder blue crab shall mean a hard blue crab which has a fully formed soft shell beneath the hard outer shell and the impending shedding process is evidenced by the white sign along the outer rim of the paddle-like appendages on the crab's fifth pair of legs.

(b) A person shall not purchase, sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale any hard blue crab measuring less than four and three-quarter inches across from tip to tip of spike except as noted in (b)1 below. Any commercially licensed vessel or person in possession of more than one bushel of blue crabs shall be presumed to possess all blue crabs for the purpose of sale.

1. A person shall not purchase, sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale any mature female blue crab measuring less than four and one-half inches across from tip to tip of spike.

(c) A person shall not possess, purchase, sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale any Jonah crab measuring less than four and three-quarter inches in carapace width or any Jonah crab claw less than two and three-quarter inches in total length. The minimum claw length requirement does not apply if the volume of claws detached at sea is less than five gallons or if the claws are detached from a landed Jonah crab that meets the minimum carapace width requirement.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:25-14.10

R.1982 d.169, effective 6/7/1982.
See: 13 N.J.R. 645(a), 14 N.J.R. 578(a).
Amended by R.1994 d.152, effective 3/21/1994.
See: 25 N.J.R. 4831(a), 26 N.J.R. 1337(b).
Petition for Rulemaking.
See: 27 N.J.R. 944(b), 27 N.J.R. 1478(c).
Amended by R.1996 d.587, effective 12/16/1996 (operative January 1, 1997).
See: 28 N.J.R. 3998(a), 28 N.J.R. 5231(a).
Inserted "blue" preceding "crab" throughout, and, in (a)1, substituted "white sign" for "red sign".
Amended by R.1998 d.40, effective 1/5/1998.
See: 29 N.J.R. 4595(a), 30 N.J.R. 226(a).
Added second sentence of (b), concerning presumption of possession for sale.
Amended by R.2000 d.10, effective 1/3/2000.
See: 31 N.J.R. 2555(a), 32 N.J.R. 48(a).
In (b), inserted an exception at the end of the first sentence of the introductory paragraph, and added 1.
Administrative change.
See: 48 N.J.R. 647(a).
Administrative change.
See: 49 N.J.R. 1681(a).