Commercial Finfish Regulations as of Aug 25, 2009
Species
Fishery
Season
Open - Close
Size Limit
Possession Limit
American Eel (1)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 6 in No Limit
S1: All Jan 01 - Apr 30 12 in 100 lb
S2: Fish pot & weir May 01 - May 24 12 in 500 lb
S2: Lobster bycatch May 01 - May 24 12 in 200 lb
S2: All others May 01 - May 24 12 in 200 lb
S3: Fish pot & weir Closed 12 in Closed
S3: Lobster bycatch Closed 12 in Closed
S3: All others Closed 12 in Closed
All Jan 01 - Quota Dep. No Limit 5,000 lb
Cod (3)
North of Cape Cod Jan 01 - Dec 31 22 in 800 lb
East & South of Cape Cod Jan 01 - Dec 31 22 in 1,000 lb
Dab (Plaice) (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 14 in No Limit
Dogfish
All May 01 - Aug 31 No Limit 600 lb
All Sep 01 - Quota Dep. No Limit 2000 lb
P1: Nets Feb 01 - Apr 22 14 in 500 lb
P2: Nets April 23 - June 9 14 in 100 lb
P2: Longlines April 23 - June 9 14 in 100 lb
P2: Handlines or Rod & Reel April 23 - June 9 14 in Prohibited
P2: Nets Jun 10 - Aug 11 14 in 300 lb
P2: Longlines Jun 10 - Aug 11 14 in 200 lb
P2: Handlines or Rod & Reel Jun 10 - Aug 11 14 in 200 lb
Gray Sole (Witch) (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 14 in No Limit
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 18 in No Limit
Illex Squid
All Jan 01 - Quota Dep. No Limit No Limit
Loligo Squid
All Jan 01 - Aug 5 No Limit No Limit
All Aug 06 - Aug 31 No Limit 2500 lb
All Sep 01 - Quota Dep. No Limit No Limit
Monkfish (5)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 17 in 470 lb tails
1560 lb whole
Pollock (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 19 in No Limit
Redfish (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 9 in No Limit

Scup (6)

 
Winter I Jan 01 - Apr 22 9 in 30,000 lb
Fish Weir Jan 01 - Aug 31 9 in No Limit
Trawlers Apr 23 - Aug 31 9 in 400 lb
Non-Trawl May 01 - May 31 9 in 200 lb
Non-Trawl Aug 01 - Aug 31 9 in 400 lb
Winter II Nov 01 - Aug 31 9 in 2,000 lb
Smelt
Hook & line only Jun 16 - Mar 14 No Limit 50 fish
Sunday Jul 12 - Aug 26 34 in 5 fish
Tues, Wed, Thur Jul 12 - Aug 26 34 in 30 fish
All Apr 16 - May 15 16 in 40 fish
All Sep 01 - Quota Dep. 16 in 40 fish
Weakfish
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 16 in No Limit
Windowpane (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 12 in No Limit
Winter Flounder (8)
Gulf of Maine Jan 01 - Dec 31 12 in 250 lb
Southern New England Jan 01 - Dec 31 12 in 50 lb
Witch
Flounder (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 14 in 1,000 lb
Yellowtail Flounder (3)
All Jan 01 - Dec 31 13 in 250 lb
Notes:
1) Subject to regulation by the Division and local community. Consult local regulations
2)

The black sea bass season has been divided into 3 sections (S1, S2, & S3). During the Spring Period (S2), the landing and/or possession of black sea bass on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays shall be prohibited. Rules governing trip limits and no-fishing days for the Fall Period (S3) will be announced in July of 2009 based on availability of quota.  When the director has determined that 100% of the commercial fishery quota has been reached the fishery will close. Black sea bass are measured from the tip of the snout or jaw (mouth closed) to the farthest extremity of the tail, not including the tail filament.
3) Groundfish species regulated under the federal Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan are subject to area and season specific groundfish closures in both state and federal waters. It is illegal to harvest cod from a portion of Massachusetts Bay (Winter Cod Conservation Zone) between December 1 and January 31 and in the Spring Cod Conservation Zone between May 1 and June 30.
4) The fluke limit is 500 lbs for nets during Period I from February 1 until 25% of the annual quota is reached, at which point the possession limit will be dropped to 100 lbs. During the squid season (April 23 – June 9), the fluke limit taken by nets will be 100 lbs. It is illegal to land or possess fluke between the hours of 8 PM and 6 AM. From June 10 to the end of Period II, fluke may not be landed on Friday or Saturday. Permitted party/charter vessel operators may fillet striped bass for their customers.  See 322 CMR 6.07 (4)(g) for details.
5) The minimum size for monkfish is 17" total length or 11" inches for tails
6) All fish weirs combined are subject to a quota of 177,000 lbs during the Summer Season. During the May 1 - 31, commercial pot and hook & line fishermen are prohibited from landing and/or possessing scup on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays. During August through December, commercial pot and hook & line fishermen are prohibited from landing and/or possessing scup on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. From June 10th through October, trawlers are prohibited from possessing scup on Fridays and Saturdays.
7) Commercial fishermen may fish for striped bass only on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday within the commercial season. Striped bass May be taken by hook and line only; spearing, netting, snagging are prohibited.
8) Winter flounder can not be taken inside the spawning closure area or the inshore net areas between Feb 1 and May 31. It is unlawful for commercial fishermen to take winter flounder from Mount Hope Bay and its tributaries