Atlantic Sea Scallop
About
Permit Categories
Permit Category | Description | Permits issued in 2016 |
LA 2 | Full-Time | 248 |
LA 3 | Part-Time | 2 |
LA 4 | Occasional | 0 |
LA 5 | Full-Time Small Dredge | 51 |
LA 6 | Part-Time Small Dredge | 30 |
LA 7 | Full-Time - Authorized to use trawl net | 11 |
LA 8 | Part-Time - Authorized to use trawl net | 0 |
LA 9 | Occasional - Authorized to use trawl net | 0 |
LAGC A | Individual Fishing Quota | 258 |
LAGC B | Northern Gulf of Maine | 99 |
LAGC C | Incidental Catch | 242 |
Limited access full-time, part-time, and occasional vessel permit categories have been in place since 1994. Allocations for part-time and occasional scallop vessels are set at 40 percent and 8.33 percent of the full-time allocations, respectively.
The New England Fishery Management Council established the limited access general category permits (Individual Fishing Quota, Northern Gulf of Maine, and incidental) in 2008.
Other permit information: All Federal scallop permits require an active Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) unit.
Commercial operator permit: Operator cards are required for any operator of a charter/party boat or a commercial vessel (including carrier and processor vessels) issued a vessel permit from the Greater Atlantic Region and fishing for or in possession of fish.
Commercial dealer/processor permit: Atlantic Sea scallops may be sold only to persons possessing a valid Federal scallop dealer permit. Scallops must be purchased only from vessel owners possessing a valid scallop vessel permit.
How to obtain a federal scallop fishing permit: All federal scallop permits are issued under limited access programs. Therefore, a federal scallop can only be obtained by purchasing a vessel that has already been issued one.
Species Covered By This Permit
- Atlantic Sea Scallop
How to Apply
All permits are free of charge. Go to Fish Online to apply online.
For assistance, please contact our Permit Office by emailing us at NMFS.GAR.Permits@noaa.gov or by calling (978) 282-8438.
What Happens After You Submit
After we process an online permit application, you will need to print your permit from your Fish Online account. We will not be mailing paper permits back to you once your permit has been issued.