Federally Permitted Seafood Dealer Reporting Requirements
Seafood dealers who purchase federally managed species from federally permitted vessels require a federal Seafood Dealer Permit.
If a person or company purchases or receives any federally managed species from the owner or operator of a vessel permitted by our office, and for a commercial purpose other than solely for transport on land, they must have a federal seafood dealer permit for this region. Though there are several exceptions, they must also submit weekly trip level reports for most species purchased, using one of our approved electronic means.
Submitting Dealer Reports
Dealers must submit all reports for a reporting week (Sunday to Saturday) by midnight the following Tuesday. Edits can be made to reports up to 90 business days following the submission deadline of the initial report.
Submitting Negative Reports
If no purchases are made or landings are received during a reporting week (Sunday to Saturday), a negative report must be submitted, by midnight of the following Tuesday. Negative reports may be submitted up to 3 months in advance if you believe that you will not be making any purchases or receiving fish or shellfish during that time period (e.g., seasonal closures). A late positive report will overwrite the negative report for that purchase date.
Corrections
Corrections can be made by contacting our Dealer Data Corrections line at (978) 675-2160.
Compliance
Our staff will work with dealers to resolve technical and reporting issues; however, it is a dealer's responsibility to report completely, accurately and on time. Dealers who do not submit complete and accurate electronic reports within the required time frame will be considered out of compliance and may be referred to our Office of Law Enforcement.
Reporting Methods
You can submit reports electronically by any of the following methods
● Web based SAFIS system
● File upload to SAFIS from an existing software application (such as accounting software) used by your business.
● File uploading from the Bluefin Tuna Data, LLC Trip Ticket software system
For information about installing and using these methods, contact our Dealer Reporting Help Desk at (978) 281-9212.
Required Information
The following information is required to be reported for each purchase or receipt of fish or shellfish from a vessel (exceptions discussed below) regardless of where or how it was harvested (inshore or federal waters), or who harvested it (federally permitted or state only permitted). This is a requirement for all vessels purchased from, regardless of whether the vessel has a federal permit.
For each trip the dealer must report the following information:
● Your dealer name and permit number.
● Your vessel name and permit number or hull number (state registration or USCG documentation number) of the vessel from which fish are purchased or received.
● The date of purchase or receipt.
● Your vessel Trip Report Serial Number as supplied to the dealer by the vessel. This is the 8 digit serial number on the first vessel trip report page (VTR) or the 14 digit electronic vessel trip report (eVTR) used by the harvesting vessel for each trip.
This serial number must be submitted with the initial purchase report and is required for all trips made by vessels permitted under 50 C.F.R. §648.
Vessels are not required to provide the vessel trip report serial number if they hold only state permits or if they are federally permitted only under other parts of this regulation such as American lobster and Atlantic Tunas.
● The amount of each species by market category and unit of measure being reported (e.g., pounds, bushels, or count).
● The disposition, or how the fish will be used (e.g., human food, bait, pet food or reduction).
● The price per unit of each species or total value by species per unit by market category.
Note that price and disposition may be submitted up to 16 days after purchase or receipt.
● The port and state where the fish were landed.
● The cage tag numbers for surf clams and ocean quahogs harvested under our ITQ allocation.
● Additional data must be reported for highly migratory species (e.g., HMS catch area, sale price, whether shark fins are naturally attached). For assistance, call the HMS Electronic Reporting Help Desk at (301) 427-8590 or contact your local Port Agent.
Out of Region Purchases
Dealers purchasing or receiving fish from a vessel landing outside of our region (Maine to North Carolina) are required to report only our region's federally managed species and all highly migratory species including Atlantic tunas, swordfish and sharks.
Additional Requirements
All federally permitted processors (including surf clam and ocean quahog processors) are required to complete and submit all sections of the Annual Processed Products Report, which is mailed during the first quarter of each year. This document does not contain all the regulatory provisions that pertain to dealers and consequently has no legal force or effect. A copy of the complete reporting regulations can be obtained from the Office of the Federal Register.
Helpful Numbers
SAFIS Help Desk: (978) 281-9212
Domestic Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Reporting: (978) 281-9140
HMS Electronic Reporting Help Desk: (301) 427-8590
