Bag Limit

A bag limit is the maximum number of fish of a species an individual angler may keep, usually stated per person per day, the primary output control in recreational fisheries. It caps harvest where licensing and self-reporting make landed-weight quotas impractical. Managers pair bag limits with minimum landing sizes, slot limits, and seasonal closures to spread effort and protect spawners. Daily bag limits for striped bass or red snapper are set by state and federal agencies and adjusted as stock assessments change, with possession limits extending the cap across multi-day trips.