Atlantic Sharpnose SharkorBlacktip Shark
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
Small (under 4 ft), white spots on gray back, long labial furrows at the mouth corners.
Blacktip Shark
Black-tipped fins but a plain (unmarked) anal fin; pointed snout; Z-shaped lateral line.
Blacktip shark, next to Atlantic sharpnose shark: larger, black-tipped fins, no white spots.
Side by side
| Atlantic Sharpnose Shark | Blacktip Shark | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Rhizoprionodon terraenovae | Carcharhinus limbatus |
| Also called | — | — |
| Waters | Sharks | Sharks |
| Heaviest state record | 18.1 lb · Texas (2022) | 193 lb · Maryland (1991) |
| On the table | Good if bled and iced the moment it hits the deck. | Good when bled immediately. |
| Rules of its own in | 19 states | 19 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 16 of 19 states with a rule for either. In Alabama, Atlantic sharpnose shark is No size limit, 1 per person per day and blacktip shark is 54 in fork length minimum, 1 per person per day. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Atlantic Sharpnose Shark: size · bag · season | Blacktip Shark: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No size limit1 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked | 54 in fork length minimum1 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Connecticut | No size limit1 per person per trip (separate from the vessel shark limit)Year-roundOpenNOAA HMS 2026 · CT DEEP 2026 · checked | 54" FL min1 shark per vessel per trip — all authorized sharks combinedYear-roundOpenNOAA HMS 2026 · CT DEEP 2026 · checked |
| Delaware | No size limit1 additional per angler beyond shark aggregateOpen year-roundOpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked | 54 in FL min1 shark aggregate per vessel (shore: per angler)Jan 1 - May 14 and Jul 16 - Dec 31OpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit1 shark per person per day; max 2 per vesselOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | No size limit1 shark per person per day; max 2 per vesselOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit1 shark per person per day; max 2 per vesselOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | No size limit1 shark per person per day; max 2 per vesselOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | 30 in fork length1 per angler per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked | 54 in fork length1 per angler or boat, whichever is fewerOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked |
| Louisiana | No size limit1 per person per tripOpen year-roundOpenLDWF 2026 · checked | No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenLDWF 2026 · checked |
| Maine | No size limit1 per person per trip (separate from the vessel shark limit)Year-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked | 54" FL min1 shark per vessel per trip — all authorized sharks combinedYear-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | No size limit1 per angler per day (in addition to the 1-shark aggregate)Open year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked | 54 in FL1 shark per vessel per trip (aggregate); shore 1 per dayOpen year-round except May 15-Jul 15OpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Massachusetts | No size limit1 in shark aggregate plus 1 additional per tripOpen year-roundOpenMA DMF 2026 · checked | 54" min1 shark per trip (aggregate)Open year-roundOpenMA DMF 2026 · checked |
| Mississippi | 25 in total length minimum4 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked | 37 in total length minimum1 per person per day (max 3 per vessel)Open year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked |
| New Hampshire | No size limit1 per person per trip (separate from the vessel shark limit)Year-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked | 54" FL min1 shark per vessel per trip — all authorized sharks combinedYear-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | No size limit1 per person per tripOpen year-roundOpenNJ DEP 2026 · likely · checked | 54 in FL min1 shark per vessel per tripJan 1 - May 14 and Jul 16 - Dec 31OpenNJ DEP 2026 · checked |
| New York | No size limit1 additional per angler per tripOpen year-roundOpenNY DEC 2026 · checked | 54" FL1 shark per vessel per tripOpen year-roundOpenNY DEC 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | No size limit1 per person per trip (separate from the vessel shark limit)Year-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked | 54" FL min1 shark per vessel per trip — all authorized sharks combinedYear-roundOpenFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2026 · checked |
| Rhode Island | No size limit1/person/day in addition to the coastal shark bagOpen year-roundOpenRI DEM 2026 · checked | 54" FL min1 shark/person/day from shore or 1/vessel/dayOpen year-roundOpenRI DEM 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | No size limit1 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked | 54 in fork length1 shark per vessel per tripOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | 24 in total length1 (all sharks combined, any combination)Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked | 24 in total length1 (all sharks combined, any combination)Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | No size limit1 per person per trip (in addition to shark vessel limit)Open year-roundOpenVMRC 2026 · checked | 54 in FL min1 per vessel per trip (all permitted sharks combined)Open year-round except May 15 - Jul 15OpenVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, Atlantic sharpnose shark or blacktip shark, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell Atlantic sharpnose shark from blacktip shark?
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark: Small (under 4 ft), white spots on gray back, long labial furrows at the mouth corners. Blacktip Shark: Black-tipped fins but a plain (unmarked) anal fin; pointed snout; Z-shaped lateral line. Blacktip shark, next to Atlantic sharpnose shark: larger, black-tipped fins, no white spots.
Which gets bigger, Atlantic sharpnose shark or blacktip shark?
Blacktip Shark. The heaviest state record we hold is 193 lb in Maryland; the heaviest Atlantic sharpnose shark record is 18.1 lb in Texas.
Which is better to eat, Atlantic sharpnose shark or blacktip shark?
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark: Good if bled and iced the moment it hits the deck. Blacktip Shark: Good when bled immediately.
Do Atlantic sharpnose shark and blacktip shark have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 16 state rulebooks. Alabama: Atlantic sharpnose shark No size limit, 1 per person per day, blacktip shark 54 in fork length minimum, 1 per person per day; Connecticut: Atlantic sharpnose shark No size limit, 1 per person per trip (separate from the vessel shark limit), blacktip shark 54" FL min, 1 shark per vessel per trip — all authorized sharks combined; Delaware: Atlantic sharpnose shark No size limit, 1 additional per angler beyond shark aggregate, blacktip shark 54 in FL min, 1 shark aggregate per vessel (shore: per angler); Georgia: Atlantic sharpnose shark 30 in fork length, 1 per angler per day, blacktip shark 54 in fork length, 1 per angler or boat, whichever is fewer; Louisiana: Atlantic sharpnose shark No size limit, 1 per person per trip, blacktip shark No size limit, No bag limit; and more in the table on this page.