Trip-Level Reporting for Fixed Gear Fishermen

Have questions about reporting fixed gear trips? Learn about fixed gear fields and find resources.

DMF updated trip-level reporting requirements for all fixed gear fishermen. This is in response to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Addendum XXVI to Amendment 3 of the Lobster Fishery Management Plan.

Detailed Definitions

Massachusetts state reporting fixed gear fishermen must report the fields defined below. Fixed gear includes all pot gear types and gillnets. These are additions to traditional fields. This is true for all reporting methods. Note that field names differ in SAFIS eTRIPS from the paper form; the list below lists the paper field name followed by the eTRIPS field name in parentheses.  

  • Strings Hauled (Gear Sets): The number of trawls or strings hauled in a statistical area.  
  • Gear in area (Gears Fishing): The number of individual traps or nets in the specified statistical area at the start of the day.  
  • Buoy lines in area (Number of Buoy Lines): The number of buoy lines in the specified statistical area at the start of the day.  
  • Total gear (Gear Size): The total number of traps or nets in the water by gear type at the start of the day, regardless of statistical area.  
  • Total buoy lines (Total Buoy Lines in Water): Total number of buoy lines in the water by gear type at the start of the day, regardless of statistical area.  

Reporting Platforms

Data reporting will look different on each reporting platform. See help links below for each platform:

Please note that trips cannot be submitted on old paper forms.

Maps for Reporting

More Information

  • If you need further help, please call our office during business hours at (978) 491-6279, or email us anytime at dmf.stats@Mass.gov.
  • If we miss your call please leave a message and we will respond within one business day. 

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