Notification, Reporting, and Monitoring Requirements for the Limited Access Atlantic Mackerel Fishery
Existing requirements for vessels participating in the Atlantic mackerel fishery.
General Requirements
Limited Access
If you are an owner/operator of a vessel issued a Tier 1, 2, or 3 Atlantic mackerel permit, you must:
- Submit weekly vessel trip reports (VTRs) for all permits.
- Provide 48-hr pre-trip notification to retain more than 20,000 lb (9.07 mt) of mackerel.
- Please call Sara Weeks at (508) 642-6005 for a mackerel trip that will not be catching and retaining herring. For a trip that would be a herring or groundfish combination trip with mackerel, please notify NOAA Fisheries via PTNS at least 48 hours prior to beginning any trip to be considered for monitoring coverage.
- Enter trips up to, but no more than, 10 days in advance.
- Login with your vessel permit number and Fish Online PIN.
- Call the Fish Online Help Desk at (978) 281-9188 if you need a PIN.
- Enter your fishery, trip type, sail date, port of departure, trip length, and gear type.
- Call the PTNS Help Desk at (855) FISHES-1 if you need assistance or have questions.
- Declare trips via VMS and submit daily catch reporting via VMS for limited access mackerel vessels
- Provide 6-hr pre-landing notification via VMS to land over 20,000 lb (9.07 mt) of mackerel
Slippage Requirements
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If you are an owner/operator of a vessel issued a limited access Atlantic mackerel permit that has a slippage event (either allowable or non-allowable), you must:
- Report that catch was slipped and the reason for slippage on the VMS catch report for each day (0000-2400 hr) by 9 a.m. of the following day.
- Complete a released catch affidavit form. The completed form must be mailed to the Sustainable Fisheries Division at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip.
- The released catch affidavit must detail:
- Why catch was slipped;
- An estimate of the quantity and species composition of the slipped catch; and
- The time and location of the slipped catch.
If you have questions, please call the following numbers:
- PTNS – (855) 347-4371.
- Fish Online – (978) 281-9188.
- VMS Reporting – (978) 281-9213.
- IVR Reporting – (978) 281-9209.
- VTR Reporting – (978) 281-9246.
- Regulations – (978) 281-9315.
- Permits – (978) 281-9370.
For more information, please visit the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region Atlantic mackerel webpage or contact Aly Pitts.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number.
OMB Number: 0648-0202, 0648-0212, and 0646-0674
Expiration: 10-31-2022, 7-31-2022, and 2-28-2023
For small entity compliance guides, this bulletin complies with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act of 1996. This notice is authorized by the Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region.
