Sand Tilefish Regulations

Sand Tilefish

Malacanthus plumieri

Managed by:

SAFMC

Physical description:

Elongate, slender. Generally pale gray to tan, with bluish cast; pelvic fin white; pectoral fin clear; dorsal and anal fins mostly yellow, with clear bands; caudal fin with sharply defined dusky area above center, lobes yellowish orange. Head pointed, not abruptly elevated, without fleshy triangular crest; eye small, near top of head; opercular spine strong, pointed. Dorsal fin long, low, with 4-5 spines, 53-57 rays; anal fin long, with 1 spine, 50-52 rays; caudal fin lunate, with long lobes.

Biological description:

Over sand and rubble from near shore to depths of about 150' (46 m). Cape Lookout, NC, to Santos, Brazil, including Bermuda, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Also around Ascension Island in South Atlantic.

South Atlantic Federal Regulations

Commercial:

• OPEN
• Minimum Size Limit: None
• Trip Limit: None
• Limited access permit required
• Included in the Deepwater Complex (yellowedge grouper, silk snapper, misty grouper, queen snapper, sand tilefish, blackfin snapper)
• Regulatory Remarks:
  • All species must be landed with head and fins intact.
  • Recreational and commercial fishermen are required to use dehooking tools when fishing for snapper grouper species.
  • The use of non-stainless steel circle hooks (offset or non-offset) is required for all species in the snapper grouper complex when using hook-and-line gear with natural baits in waters North of 28 degrees N. latitude.
  • After the commercial annual catch limit for the Deepwater Complex (yellowedge grouper, silk snapper, misty grouper, queen snapper, sand tilefish, blackfin snapper) is met, all purchase and sale is prohibited and harvest and/or possession is limited to the recreational bag limit (while recreational harvest is open). This prohibition does not apply to fish harvested, landed, and sold prior to the annual catch limit being reached and held in cold storage by a dealer.
  • Charter/Headboat and Commercial snapper grouper vessels must have onboard NMFS approved sea turtle release gear and follow smalltooth sawfish release protocol. Click here to learn more or call 727-824-5312.
  • Annual Catch Limit (ACL) - This species is managed under an ACL (Deepwater Complex). See current information on Commercial ACLs (quotas) from NOAA Fisheries.
    • Vertical hook-and-line including hand-held hook-and-line and bandit gear. Spearfishing gear without rebreathers.
    • Bottom longline, only in depths 50 fathoms or more and only north of St. Lucie Inlet, Florida. Vessels with longline gear onboard may only possess snowy grouper, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, golden tilefish, blueline tilefish and sand tilefish.Allowable Gear:
    • Powerheads, except where expressly prohibited in Special Management Zones (SMZs) and in the EEZ off South Carolina.

Recreational:

• OPEN
• Minimum Size Limit: None
• Trip Limit: Included in the Aggregate Grouper Bag Limit of 3 groupers per person/day
• Regulatory Remarks:
  • Included in Aggregate Grouper bag limit of 3 groupers per person/day. Aggregate species include: gag, black, snowy, misty, red, scamp, yellowedge, yellowfin, yellowmouth grouper; blueline, sand, golden tilefish; coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind.
  • Part of the Deepwater Complex
  • All species must be landed with head and fins intact.
  • Recreational and commercial fishermen are required to use dehooking tools when fishing for snapper grouper species.
  • The use of non-stainless steel circle hooks (offset or non-offset) is required for all species in the snapper grouper complex when using hook-and-line gear with natural baits in waters North of 28 degrees N. latitude.
  • The sale of bag-limit caught snapper grouper species is prohibited.
  • Charter/Headboat and Commercial snapper grouper vessels must have onboard NMFS approved sea turtle release gear and follow smalltooth sawfish release protocol. Click here to learn more or call 727-824-5312.
  • Annual Catch Limit (ACL) - This species is managed under an ACL. See current information on Recreational ACLs from NOAA Fisheries.