Great White SharkorShortfin Mako
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
Great White Shark
Conical snout, black eye, torpedo bulk; serrated triangular teeth; stark white underside.
Shortfin Mako
Metallic indigo back, conical snout, dagger teeth; the fastest shark.
Shortfin mako, next to great white shark: slimmer, with smooth-edged dagger teeth.
Side by side
| Great White Shark | Shortfin Mako | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Carcharodon carcharias | Isurus oxyrinchus |
| Also called | White shark | — |
| Waters | Sharks | Sharks |
| Heaviest state record | 3450 lb · New York (1986) | 1324 lb · Massachusetts (1999) |
| On the table | Protected — never on the menu. | Off the menu while the ban holds. |
| Rules of its own in | 19 states | 19 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 4 of 19 states with a rule for either. In Georgia, great white shark is No harvest, No harvest and shortfin mako is 83 in fork length, 1 per angler or boat, whichever is fewer. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Great White Shark: size · bag · season | Shortfin Mako: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Harvest prohibitedZeroClosed year-roundPut it backAL MRD 2026 · checked | Harvest prohibitedZeroClosed year-roundPut it backAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Connecticut | Take prohibited0Closed year-roundPut it backCT DEEP 2026 · checked | Take prohibited0Closed year-roundPut it backCT DEEP 2026 · likely · checked |
| Delaware | Harvest prohibited0No harvest permittedPut it backDE DNREC 2026 · checked | Harvest prohibited0No harvest permittedPut it backDE DNREC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | No harvestNo harvestClosed year-roundPut it backFWC 2026 · checked | No harvestNo harvestClosed year-roundPut it backFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | No harvestNo harvestClosed year-roundPut it backFWC 2026 · checked | No harvestNo harvestClosed year-roundPut it backFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | No harvestNo harvestClosed year-roundPut it backGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked | 83 in fork length1 per angler or boat, whichever is fewerOnly when federal quota is openClosedGA DNR CRD 2026 · likely · checked |
| Louisiana | No harvestNo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backLDWF 2026 · checked | No harvestNo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backLDWF 2026 · checked |
| Maine | Take prohibitedNo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backME DMR 2026 · checked | Take prohibitedNo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backME DMR 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | No take0ClosedPut it backMD DNR 2026 · likely · checked | No take0ClosedPut it backMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Massachusetts | N/ANo possessionClosed year-roundPut it backMA DMF 2026 · checked | N/ANo possessionClosed year-roundPut it backMA DMF 2026 · checked |
| Mississippi | No takeNo takeClosed year-roundPut it backMS 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 retentionProhibitedPut it backFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2025 · checked | Possession prohibitedPossession prohibitedClosed year-roundPut it backNH F&G 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | Prohibited0No open seasonPut it backNJ DEP 2026 · checked | Prohibited0No open seasonPut it backNJ DEP 2026 · checked |
| New York | No possession0Closed all yearPut it backNY DEC 2026 · checked | No possession0Closed all yearPut it backNY DEC 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | —No retentionProhibitedPut it backFederal rule (NOAA Highly Migratory Species)NOAA HMS 2025 · checked | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| Rhode Island | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backRI DEM 2026 · checked | N/ANo harvest or possessionClosed year-roundPut it backRI DEM 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | No harvestPossession prohibitedClosed year-roundPut it backSC DNR 2026 · checked | No harvestPossession prohibitedClosed year-roundPut it backSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | No harvest0Closed year-roundPut it backTPWD 2026 · checked | No harvest0Closed year-roundPut it backTPWD 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | No harvest0ClosedPut it backVMRC 2026 · checked | No harvest0ClosedPut it backVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, great white shark or shortfin mako, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell great white shark from shortfin mako?
Great White Shark: Conical snout, black eye, torpedo bulk; serrated triangular teeth; stark white underside. Shortfin Mako: Metallic indigo back, conical snout, dagger teeth; the fastest shark. Shortfin mako, next to great white shark: slimmer, with smooth-edged dagger teeth.
Which gets bigger, great white shark or shortfin mako?
Great White Shark. The heaviest state record we hold is 3450 lb in New York; the heaviest shortfin mako record is 1324 lb in Massachusetts.
Which is better to eat, great white shark or shortfin mako?
Great White Shark: Protected — never on the menu. Shortfin Mako: Off the menu while the ban holds.
Do great white shark and shortfin mako have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 4 state rulebooks. Georgia: great white shark No harvest, No harvest, shortfin mako 83 in fork length, 1 per angler or boat, whichever is fewer; Mississippi: great white shark No take, No take, shortfin mako 37 in total length minimum, 1 per person per day (max 3 per vessel); New Hampshire: great white shark —, No retention, shortfin mako Possession prohibited, Possession prohibited; North Carolina: great white shark —, No retention, shortfin mako N/A, No harvest or possession.