Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Permits

Groundfish Categories

There are two categories of Northeast groundfish:

• Those requiring regulated mesh: Cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, pollock, redfish (ocean perch), winter flounder (blackback), American plaice (dab), witch flounder (grey sole), windowpane flounder (sand dab), white hake, Atlantic halibut, and Atlantic wolffish.
• Others: Silver hake (whiting), red hake (ling), offshore hake, and ocean pout.

Limited Access Permit Categories

These permits may only be issued to vessels that have previously held them or to approved replacements of such vessels. A vessel owner has 45 days from the first effective date of their permit within a permit year to make a change to the Northeast multispecies permit category. Further restrictions may apply to specific categories. 

Category A: Days-At-Sea

This category includes all gear types except dredge gear. An operational VMS is required to be on board the vessel to fish for groundfish under a Northeast multispecies DAS or on a sector trip.

Category C: Small Vessel Exemption

Small vessels are those less than or equal to 30 feet. This category includes all gear types except dredge gear.

Category D: Hook Gear

Vessels in this category may not change category. This category is limited to handlines (gear code 911), rod and reel (gear code 912), tub trawl (gear code 913) and longlines (gear code 920) gear only. An operational VMS is required to be on board the vessel to fish for groundfish under a Northeast multispecies DAS or on a sector trip.

Category E: Combination Vessels

This category includes all gear types except dredge gear and is only applicable for vessels that have a limited access scallop permit. Vessels in this category may not change category. An operational VMS is required to be on board the vessel to fish for groundfish under a Northeast multispecies DAS or on a sector trip.

Category F: Large Mesh Individual DAS

Category A (Individual DAS) or E (Combination) vessels may elect this category for the entire year provided the vessels meet the following requirements. Category A DAS for vessels fishing under this permit category will be increased by 36%. These vessels must fish with either gillnets or trawl nets having a minimum of 8.5-inch square or diamond mesh when fishing in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, or Southern New England Regulated Mesh Areas, and 7.5-inch diamond or 8.0-inch square mesh when fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Regulated Mesh Area. This category is limited to gear types/codes 120, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330 and 700 only. An operational VMS is required to be on board the vessel to fish for groundfish under a Northeast multispecies DAS or on a sector trip.

Handgear A

This category is limited to rod and reel (gear code 912), handline (gear code 911) or tub trawl (gear code 913) gear only. Vessels may not change category. 

A Handgear A vessel in the common pool must declare its trips using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, unless it intends to fish in more than one broad stock area (BSA) on a single trip, in which case, it would need a VMS unit to declare its trips.

Open Access Permit Categories

Handgear B

This category includes rod and reel (gear code 912), handline (gear code 911) or tub trawl (gear code 913) gear only.

Category I: Charter Party

The vessel may possess and land multispecies in the EEZ when carrying passengers for hire (See page 3, additional documents required). This category is limited to rod and reel (gear code 912) and handline (gear code 911) gear only.

Category J: Scallop Multispecies Possession Limit

The vessel may possess and land up to 300 lb of regulated species while fishing under a scallop DAS. Vessel must have a Limited Access Scallop Permit (Categories 2–9) to qualify for this category. This category includes all gear types.

Category K: Open Access Multispecies

The vessel may participate in an exempted fishing program to fish for small-mesh multispecies such as silver hake (whiting), red hake (ling), or offshore hake, among other species. This category includes all gear types.