All persons engaged in the wholesale or retail trade of raw fish, shellfish, lobsters, or bait, whether frozen or unfrozen must have a Dealer permit from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and may be subject to inspection from the Department of Public Health. Shellfish dealers must check Food & Drug regulations for tagging and record keeping.

Beginning in 2004, any MA seafood dealer who purchases seafood products, even if for bait purposes, directly from fishermen is considered a primary buyer, and must indicate so on this application. For businesses with multiple locations, this application must be completed for each location in MA which is purchasing any seafood product(s) directly from fishermen. In addition, all Federally permitted dealers must complete this application regardless whether they are a primary buyer or not.