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2020 DMF Advisories

DMF Advisories provide official announcements of updates to permits, public hearings, opening & closing of fishing seasons and other important news.
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December

12/23/20: January Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Meeting Postponed (English, PDF 226.88 KB)
12/11/20: Commercial Scup Possession Limit for 2021 Winter I Period set at 50,000 Pounds (English, PDF 227.38 KB)
12/11/20: 2021 Period I Commercial Summer Flounder Trip Limit Increased to 2,000 Pounds (English, PDF 229.75 KB)
12/9/20: 2020 Commercial and Dealer Permits Extended Through January 31, 2021 (English, PDF 142.97 KB)

November

11/30/20: Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative Task Force Meeting Scheduled (English, PDF 235.97 KB)
11/24/20: Public Comment Sought: 2021 Winter I Commercial Scup Limit (English, PDF 227.9 KB)
11/23/20: Public Comment Sought on Proposed Increase to 2021 Summer Flounder Period I (January 1 – April 22) Commercial Trip Limit (English, PDF 238.65 KB)
11/17/20: DMF Renews Winter Fluke Pilot Program for 2021 
11/17/20: DMF to Host Trial Webinar for Upcoming Public Hearings and Post Public Hearing Records to YouTube Channel (English, PDF 250.26 KB)
11/10/20: 2020 Commercial Tautog Fishery to Close Effective November 12, 2020 (English, PDF 232.42 KB)
11/09/20: Atlantic Sea Herring Fishery in Management Area 1A to Close Tonight 
11/04/20: Commercial Tautog Fishery to Reopen on November 6 
11/2/20: November Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Business Meeting is Cancelled (English, PDF 224.42 KB)

October

10/30/20: Commercial Black Sea Bass Season Extend Through November 5 
10/29/20: Summer Flounder Trip Limit to Increase to 2,000 Pounds on November 1 
10/28/20: Commercial Tautog Fishery to Close Effective November 3 
10/28/20: Commercial Black Sea Bass Fishery to Close Effective November 3 
10/23/20: Limited Access Commercial Menhaden Fishery to Close Effective Saturday, October 24, 2020 (English, PDF 197.29 KB)
10/22/20: DMF Proposing In-Season Increase to Commercial Summer Flounder Limits (English, PDF 235.57 KB)
10/21/20: Division of Marine Fisheries Welcomes Two New Members to the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (English, PDF 192.95 KB)
10/8/20: Recent In-Season Adjustments to Commercial Summer Flounder Limits and Horseshoe Crab Open Fishing Days for Mobile Gear Fishermen (English, PDF 226.42 KB)

September

9/30/20: Reminder of October through January Commercial Groundfish Closure in Massachusetts Bay and Upper Cape Cod Bay 
9/29/20: Reminder on In-Season Adjustments to Commercial Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Limits and Expiration of Seasonal Pilot Programs 
9/29/20: Commercial Scup Possession Limit for 2020 Winter II Period Set at 24,000 Pounds 
9/11/20: Federal 2020 Winter II Scup Quota and Possession Limit Set; DMF Proposes to Adopt Complementary Limit 
9/10/20: ASMFC and MAFMC Public Hearings on Black Sea Bass Commercial Allocation Management 

August

08/27/20: Menhaden Episodic Event Set Aside Fishery Closure; Quota Managed Fishery to Resume (English, PDF 188.8 KB)
08/21/20: DMF Makes In-Season Adjustments to Commercial Striped Bass, Black Sea Bass, and Summer Flounder Fishing Limits 
8/18/20: NOAA Fisheries Enacts Final Interim Rule Extending Recreational Gulf of Maine Cod and Haddock Seasons (English, PDF 243.24 KB)
08/13/20: DMF to Reopen Commercial Menhaden Fishery on Limited Basis 
8/10/20: 2020 Recreational Black Sea Bass For-Hire Season Extended 
08/10/20: DMF to Take Comment on In-Season Adjustments to Commercial Limits for Certain Quota Managed Fisheries 
8/6/20: Limited Access Commercial Menhaden Fishery to Close Effective Friday, August 7, 2020 (English, PDF 132.41 KB)
8/4/2020: DMF has begun the process of providing federal CARES relief to the fishing and seafood industries (English, PDF 226.75 KB)

July

7/29/2020: Commercial Tautog Tagging Program Update (English, PDF 255.83 KB)
7/23/2020: DMF Modifies its Period II Summer Flounder Pilot Program to also Allow Trawlers to Possess and Land Consecutive Days Trip Limits of Horseshoe Crabs and Black Sea Bass (English, PDF 218.41 KB)
07/14/2020: DMF Develops Website on the Aquaculture Permitting Process (English, PDF 145.97 KB)
07/13/20: Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 Public Training Webinar & Opportunities for Comment (English, PDF 217.57 KB)
07/10/20: Public Hearing on Closure of Cape Cod Canal to Commercial Striped Bass Fishing (English, PDF 243.05 KB)

June

06/27/20: Commercial Limited Access Menhaden Fishery Trip Limit Reduced to 25,000 Pounds (English, PDF 132.71 KB)
06/26/20 Menhaden (Pogies) experience a die-off along the Merrimack River (English, PDF 267.17 KB)
06/17/20: 2020 Commercial Striped Bass Limits 
06/12/20: Free Saltwater Fishing Days: June 20 & 21 (English, PDF 292.78 KB)
06/08/20: Small Mesh Trawl Fishery for Squid to Close Effective June 10 
06/03/20: Cape Cod Canal Closed to Commercial Striped Bass Fishing 

May

05/18/20: For-Hire Fishing to Reopen in Massachusetts on May 25, 2020 
05/14/20: DMF Renews Period II Summer Flounder Pilot Program 
05/14/20: Effort Control Measures Set for Season 1 Sea Herring Fishery in Area 1A 
05/08/20: May Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Meeting Postponed to May 21 

April

04/30/20: DMF to Rescind Seasonal Fixed Gear Closure Extension Effective May 1 
04/30/20: DMF to Rescind Seasonal Small Vessel Speed Limit Effective May 1 
04/27/20: DMF Extends Seasonal Fixed Gear Closure Through May 7 
04/27/20: DMF Extends Seasonal Speed Limit in Cape Cod Bay Through May 7 
04/22/20: Cape Cod Bay Fixed Gear Closure Update (English, PDF 67.06 KB)
04/16/20: Recreational Striped Bass Fishing Measures for 2020 
4/16/20: Commercial Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder and Horseshoe Crab Limits  
04/16/20: Commercial Striped Bass Fishing Regulations for 2020 
04/16/20: Recreational Bluefish Regulations for 2020 
04/16/20: Changes to Menhaden and Sand Lance Bait Fishery Limits for 2020 
04/13/2020: April Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Meeting Cancelled and May Meeting Rescheduled 
04/13/2020: Declaration to Participate in 2020 Directed Sea Herring Fishery in Management Area 1A 
04/01/20: 2020 Horseshoe Crab Spawning Closure Dates 

March

03/27/20: MFAC Business Meeting Rescheduled to April 1, 2020 at 9AM 
03/23/20: March 25, 2020 Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Business Meeting Postponed 
03/16/20: DMF Permit Update and Advisory (English, PDF 165.08 KB)
03/12/20: Cancelled - Tonight's (March 12, 2020) Public Hearing at MA Maritime Academy (English, PDF 154.09 KB)
03/12/20: March 12th Public Hearing to Continue as Scheduled (English, PDF 188.92 KB)

February

02/21/20: DMF to Increase 2020 Period I Summer Flounder Trip Limits to 2,000 Pounds Effective February 23, 2020 (English, PDF 223.38 KB)
02/21/20: DMF to Temporarily Lift the Massachusetts Bay Commercial Groundfish Closure for April 2020 (English, PDF 188.61 KB)
02/14/20: Public Comment Sought on Proposed Action to Temporarily Lift the State-Waters Groundfish Closure for April 2020 (English, PDF 280.49 KB)
02/13/20: ASMFC to Hold Public Hearing on Atlantic Herring on March 2, 2020 (English, PDF 224.99 KB)
02/12/20: Public Comment Sought on Proposed In-Season Increase to 2020 Summer Flounder Period I Commercial Trip Limit (English, PDF 222.35 KB)
02/07/20: Winter Omnibus Public Hearing (English, PDF 294.89 KB)

January

01/31/20: Notice to Fishermen - North Shore Geophysical Survey Completed (English, PDF 346.26 KB)
01/28/20: DMF Schedules Scoping Meetings to Discuss Anticipated Changes to Federal Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (English, PDF 255.98 KB)
1/23/20: Reminder Large Whale Seasonal Trap Gear Closure Effective on February 1 (English, PDF 474.87 KB)
1/22/20: Reminder - January Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission Meeting Cancelled (English, PDF 244.88 KB)
01/14/20: Applications Sought for New England Fishery Management Council (English, PDF 128.29 KB)
01/14/20: Striped Bass License Plates in Production! (English, PDF 219.25 KB)
01/14/20: Supplemental Scoping Hearing for Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment (English, PDF 149.47 KB)
01/10/20: Opening Notice for Plymouth Harbor (CCB 42.0) (English, PDF 187.32 KB)
01/08/20: Scoping Hearings for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment (English, PDF 142.9 KB)
01/08/20: Notice to Fishermen - North Shore Geophysical Survey Scheduled to Begin on January 15, 2020 (English, PDF 347.1 KB)
01/03/20: 2020 Winter I Scup Limits Set at 50,000 Pounds (English, PDF 248.22 KB)
01/03/2020: 2020 Recreational Fishing Limits Set for Fluke, Scup, and Black Sea Bass; Bluefish Rules Pending (English, PDF 132.73 KB)

Contact

Phone

Main (617) 626-1520

Online

Email marine.fish@mass.gov
DMF Staff Directory 

Fax

(617) 626-1509

Address

251 Causeway Street
Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114
Directions 

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