Section 188-34-05 - Commercial Groundfish RestrictionsA.Prohibited SpeciesVessels are prohibited from retaining, killing or landing Ocean Pout, Windowpane Flounder, and Atlantic Wolffish.
B.Commercial Fishing Size Restrictions1. Unless otherwise specified under this chapter, the minimum fish size applies to the whole fish or any part of a fish while possessed on board a vessel and to whole fish only, after landing. Fish or parts of fish must have skin on while possessed on board a vessel and at the time of landing in order to meet minimum size requirements. "Skin on" means the entire portion of the skin normally attached to the portion of the fish or fish parts possessed.2.Minimum Fish Sizes (Total Length)Species | Size Inches (cm) |
American Plaice (dab) ................................. | 12 (30.5 cm) |
Cod ............................................................. | 19 (48.3 cm) |
Haddock ..................................................... | 16 (40.7 cm) |
Monkfish .................................................... | 17 (43.2 cm) |
Pollock ....................................................... | 19 (48.3 cm) |
Redfish ....................................................... | 7 (17.8 cm) |
Summer Flounder ....................................... | 14 (35.6 cm) |
Winter Flounder (lemon sole/blackback) ..... | 12 (30.48 cm) |
Witch Flounder (gray sole).......................... | 13 (33.0 cm) |
Yellowtail Flounder .................................... | 12 (30.5 cm) |
3.Minimum Size Limit Exceptions(a) Except for Atlantic Halibut, each person aboard a vessel may possess up to 25 lb. of fillets that measure less than the minimum size, if such fillets are from legal-sized fish and are not offered or intended for sale, trade, or barter.(b) Vessels fishing exclusively with pot gear may possess multispecies racks used, or to be used, as bait that measure less than the minimum fish size, if there is a receipt for the purchase of those racks on board the vessel.(c)Monkfish. Monkfish tails may be removed from the fish but must measure at least 11 inches (27.9 cm).(d) Vessels participating in the electronic monitoring maximized retention model must retain all fish from each allocated groundfish species, regardless of length, and are therefore exempt from the minimum fish sizes for allocated groundfish species specified in Section 34.05 B(2). Federally permitted Northeast multispecies dealers may possess undersized fish which are landed by vessels participating in the electronic monitoring maximized retention model as long as they clearly identify, mark, or label all containers with fish below the minimum size as containing undersized fish, the fishing vessel from which they were offloaded, and the date of offloading. A receipt must accompany the possession of undersized allocated groundfish originating from the maximized retention model to indicate they were legally obtained. Vessels, or their sector manager, which are participating in the electronic monitoring maximized retention model and plan to land groundfish in Maine must notify Maine DMR when their vessel monitoring plan includes, or removes, the maximized retention model as an electronic monitoring tool and provide a list of Maine dealers which they are authorized to land at as per their vessel monitoring plan.C.Commercial Fishing Possession Limits1.Winter FlounderIt shall be unlawful for persons who do not possess a federal groundfish permit to fish for, take, possess or land more than 500 lbs (226.8 kg) of winter flounder taken from Maine's territorial waters per vessel, per day.
2.Atlantic CodIt shall be unlawful for persons who do not possess a federal groundfish permit to fish for, take, possess or land more than200 pounds (90.7 kg) of cod taken from Maine's territorial waters per vessel per trip.
3.MonkfishIt shall be unlawful for persons who do not possess a federal groundfish permit to fish for, take, possess or land more than150 lbs (68 kg) of monkfish tails or 498 lbs (225.9 kg) of whole monkfish taken from Maine's territorial waters per vessel per trip.
4.Summer FlounderIt shall be unlawful for persons who do not possess a federal groundfish permit to fish for, take, possess or land more than1,000 pounds of summer flounder taken from Maine's territorial waters per vessel per trip.
When the annual Maine quota for summer flounder is reached it shall be unlawful to fish for, take, or possess summer flounder, (Paralichthys dentatus), aboard any vessel within Maine's territorial waters. Public notice will be made in a newspaper, with statewide circulation, when the annual quota for summer flounder has been reached. It is unlawful to land summer flounder in the State of Maine that is in excess of the annual quota established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Department of Marine Resources.
13-188 C.M.R. ch. 34, § 05