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Fishing Best Practices

Make the most out of your trip to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary with this interactive fishing guide. Learn about sanctuary regulations, and state and federal fishing regulations, how to fish responsibly within the sanctuary, and how to log your catch with some of the available apps for the Georgia coast. Help keep Gray's Reef an ideal fishing destination for generations to come. Funding was provided by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.

Follow these important tips to help protect and conserve the marine life and habitat at Gray's Reef:

  • Please use only rod and reel or handline fishing gear; spearfishing is prohibited.
  • Please use marker buoys; anchoring is prohibited.
  • Properly stow and dispose of used fishing line and other trash.
  • Don't touch, move, or take cultural artifacts.
  • Please use descending devices when releasing fish that show signs of barotrauma.
  • Review regional federal fisheries regulations.

National Marine Sanctuaries Fishing Best Practices

Activities Prohibited Sanctuary-Wide

  • Structures - Construction of any structure other than a navigation aid, placing, or abandoning any structure, material, or other matter on the submerged lands of the sanctuary, expected weighted marker buoys.
  • Discharge - Discharging or depositing any material or other matter except fish or fish parts, bait, chumming materials, effluent from marine sanitation devices, and vessel cooling water.
  • Fishing Gear - Using any fishing gear within the sanctuary except rod and reel, and handline gear. Spearfishing in the sanctuary is prohibited.
  • Anchoring - Anchoring, or attempting to anchor, any vessel in the sanctuary, except when responding to an emergency threatening life, property, or the environment.

Activities Prohibited in Research Area

  • Stopping - Stopping a vessel in the research area.
  • Injury - Injuring, catching, harvesting, or collecting, or attempting to injure, catch, harvest, or collect, any marine organism, or any part thereof, living or dead.
  • Fishing Gear - Using any fishing gear, or possessing, or carrying any fishing gear unless such gear is stowed and not available for immediate use while on board a vessel transiting through the research area without interruption or for valid law enforcement purposes.
  • Diving - Diving within the research area is prohibited.

Additional resources