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2023 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

12/04/23: DMF Suspends Operations at Newburyport Shellfish Depuration Plan

November

11/27/23: 2024 Commercial Summer Flounder Period I Trip Limit Reduced to 5,000 Pounds, Open PDF file, 233.54 KB (English, PDF 233.54 KB)
11/15/23: Shellfish Advisory Panel Scheduled to Meet Virtually on November 20, Open PDF file, 234.47 KB (English, PDF 234.47 KB)
11/9/23: ASMFC Public Hearings on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II, Open PDF file, 242.14 KB (English, PDF 242.14 KB)
11/6/23: 2023 Commercial Atlantic Sea Herring Fishery in Management Area 1A to Close , Open PDF file, 306.83 KB (English, PDF 306.83 KB)

October

10/26/23: Public Comment Sought on In-Season Adjustment to Decrease Period I Summer Flounder Limit for 2024 , Open PDF file, 230.75 KB (English, PDF 230.75 KB)
10/23/23: Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Public Input on Summer Flounder Mesh Regulations and Exemptions , Open PDF file, 256.75 KB (English, PDF 256.75 KB)
10/20/23: BOEM Announces Gulf of Maine Draft Wind Energy Area Meetings For Fishing Community, Open PDF file, 740.33 KB (English, PDF 740.33 KB)
10/20/23: MAFMC Webinar on Mesh Size Regulations and Exemptions
10/6/23: Upper Cape Cod Bay Whiting Area and Fixed Gear Free Zone
10/5/23: Reminder on Commercial Summer Flounder Limits for Fall Permit
10/12/23: 2023 Commercial Tautog Fishery to Close for October 14

September

9/15/23: Atlantic Herring Spawning Closures in Effect Starting September 23, 2023 & Days Out Measures for Season 2 of the 2023 Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery, Open PDF file, 316.76 KB (English, PDF 316.76 KB)
09/13/23: Updated Recreational Cod and Haddock Limits
9/11/23: Commercial Scup Possession Limit for Winter Periods, Open PDF file, 220.46 KB (English, PDF 220.46 KB)
09/08/23: Commercial Black Sea Bass Fishery to Close September 13

August

8/25/23: Commercial Atlantic Sea Herring Fishery in Management Area 1A to Close at 12:01AM on Saturday, August 26th , Open PDF file, 292.01 KB (English, PDF 292.01 KB)
8/24/23: Public Comment Sought on In-Season Adjustment to Commercial Menhaden Trip Limit Triggers for 2023, Open PDF file, 231.22 KB (English, PDF 231.22 KB)
8/23/23: Atlantic Sea Herring Management, Eastern Maine Spawning Closure and Days Out Meeting Notice, Open PDF file, 222.88 KB (English, PDF 222.88 KB)
8/21/23: DMF’s Annual Fall Trawl Survey to Begin September 5th, 2023, Open PDF file, 243.31 KB (English, PDF 243.31 KB)
08/11/2023: Update on Recreational Cod and Haddock Limits
08/11/23: 2023 Commercial Striped Bass Fishery is Closed
8/11/23: Notice to Lobster Trap Fishermen and Other Interested Parties: Seasonally Recurring Low Oxygen Zones Detected in Cape Cod Bay, Open PDF file, 413.69 KB (English, PDF 413.69 KB)
08/04/23: Horseshoe Crab Bait Fishery to Close on August 7

July

07/31/23: DMF’s On-Demand Fishing Gear Economic Modeling Report Released, Open PDF file, 228.67 KB (English, PDF 228.67 KB)
7/27/23: NOAA Fisheries Recognizes DMF for Right Whale Conservation
07/13/23: BOEM Schedules In-Person Informational Meetings on Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine, Open PDF file, 219.03 KB (English, PDF 219.03 KB)
07/10/23: New Rules and In-Season Adjustment Affecting Horseshoe Crab Fishery
7/10/23: New Rules and In-Season Adjustment Affecting Commercial Summer Flounder Fishery
7/10/23: In-Season Adjustment to Increase Smooth Dogfish Trip Limits

June

06/29/23: Reminder: Commercial Striped Bass Fishery Closed on July 3rd and July 4th, Open PDF file, 118.92 KB (English, PDF 118.92 KB)
6/29/23: Public Comment Sought on In-Season Adjustment to Commercial Summer Flounder Trip Limits for 2023, Open PDF file, 229.56 KB (English, PDF 229.56 KB)
6/26/23: Public Comment Sought on In-Season Adjustment to Commercial Smooth Dogfish Limit for 2023, Open PDF file, 118.89 KB (English, PDF 118.89 KB)
6/16/23: Public Comment Sought on In-Season Adjustment to Commercial Horseshoe Crab Bait Harvest Limits for 2023, Open PDF file, 165.55 KB (English, PDF 165.55 KB)
6/9/23: Commercial Striped Bass Fishery to Open June 19, Open PDF file, 244.62 KB (English, PDF 244.62 KB)
06/08/2023: State Waters Small Mesh Trawl Fishery for Squid to Close

May

05/24/23: Striped Bass Regulation Change Effective Friday, May 26
05/22/23: New Rules Affecting Commercial Menhaden Fishery for 2023
05/22/23: MFAC Approves New Rules for Commercial Summer Flounder Fishery
05/07/2023: Area 1A (Gloucester/Rockport) Closed to Mobile Gear
05/07/23: Commercial Trap Gear Fishery to Open and Small Vessel Speed Limit Lifted Effective Monday, May 8th, Open PDF file, 137.98 KB (English, PDF 137.98 KB)
5/4/23: ASMFC Takes Emergency Action to Support Stock Rebuilding for Striped Bass
05/03/23: Annual Spring Trawl Survey to Begin May 8, 2023, Open PDF file, 122.02 KB (English, PDF 122.02 KB)
5/2/2023: Atlantic Sea Herring Area 1A Effort Controls for 2023 and Reminder of Category C/D Declaration Deadline, Open PDF file, 315.39 KB (English, PDF 315.39 KB)

April

04/28/23: DMF Monitoring Presence of Right Whales in Coastal Waters, Open PDF file, 367.94 KB (English, PDF 367.94 KB)
04/28/23: DMF Extends Small Vessel Speed Restriction for Cape Cod Bay to Protect Right Whales, Open PDF file, 226.96 KB (English, PDF 226.96 KB)
4/28/23: Update on Recreational Black Sea Bass and Scup Limits for 2023, Open PDF file, 238.27 KB (English, PDF 238.27 KB)
4/27/23: Update on Recreational Cod and Haddock Measures – Federally Proposed Measures and Comment Period Ongoing through May 3rd, Open PDF file, 253.38 KB (English, PDF 253.38 KB)
04/05/23: Deadline to Declare into Area 1 Sea Herring Fishery and Upcoming ASMFC Effort Control Meeting

March

3/28/23: 2023 Horseshoe Crab Lunar Spawning Closure Dates, Open PDF file, 446.34 KB (English, PDF 446.34 KB)
3/24/23: Expected 2023 Recreational Black Sea Bass and Scup Measures
3/23/23: Reminder, Seasonal Small Vessel Speed Limit in Cape Cod Bay , Open PDF file, 340.75 KB (English, PDF 340.75 KB)
03/15/23: In-Person ASMFC Public Hearing on American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVII Added, Open PDF file, 417.63 KB (English, PDF 417.63 KB)
03/08/23: ASMFC Public Hearing on American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVII, Open PDF file, 415.1 KB (English, PDF 415.1 KB)

February

2/28/23: Public Scoping on 2023 Recreational Scup and Black Sea Bass Measures, Open PDF file, 284.31 KB (English, PDF 284.31 KB)
02/27/23: Weather Related Closures to DMF Offices & Commercial Permit Renewal Deadline Extended to Thursday, March 2nd, Open PDF file, 244.8 KB (English, PDF 244.8 KB)
02/24/23: Shellfish Advisory Panel to Meet on March 2
02/01/23: Reminder - Lobster Bycatch Rules in Offshore Trawl Fisheries

January

1/31/22: Reminder to Trap Fishers on State and Federal Closures to Protect Right Whales
01/19/23: Early Aggregations of Surface Feeding Right Whales in Cape Cod Bay, Open PDF file, 242.88 KB (English, PDF 242.88 KB)
1/11/23: DMF Establishes New Atlantic Mackerel Permit Requirement and Fishing Limit
1/11/23: DMF Adopts New Commercial Fishing Regulations Affecting Mobile Gear, Whelk, and Trap Fishing
1/10/23: Important Updates for Commercial Lobster Permit Holders
1/9/23: DMF Adopts New Recreational Fishing Regulations Affecting Tautog and Lobster Traps
1/9/23: Reminder DMF to Host Stakeholder Meeting on Commercial Menhaden Management
1/6/23: DMF to Hold Virtual Scoping Meeting with Shellfish Dealers on Expanding Bulk Tagging Allowances for Harvesters

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