- GARFO
-
Programs
- Analysis & Program Support
- Fishing Industry Homepage
- FOIA
- General Counsel
- Grants
- Habitat Conservation
- Habitat Restoration
- Highly Migratory Species
- Law Enforcement
- NEPA
- Operations and Budget
- Protected Resources
- Seafood Inspection
- Stakeholder Engagement Division
- Sustainable Fisheries
- Vessel Monitoring System
- Science Center
- Councils & Commission
- Contact Us
-
Commercial Fishing
- Bulletins (Permit Holder Letters)
- Cooperative Research
- Federal Register Actions
- Fishery Information Sheets
- Fisheries Charts
- Fishing Industry Homepage
- Fish Online
- Forms and Applications
- Observer Program
- Permit Information
- Protected Species Regulations
- Scientific Research
- Seafood Dealer Reporting
- Species ID
- Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
- Vessel Reporting
- Recreational Fishing
-
Managed Species
- American Lobster
- Atlantic Herring
- Atlantic Salmon
- Atlantic Salmon Recovery
- Atlantic Sea Scallop
- Atlantic Sturgeon
- Black Sea Bass
- Bluefish
- Forage Species
- Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish
- Marine Mammals
- Monkfish
- NE Multispecies
- Red Crab
- River Herring
- Scup
- Sea Turtles
- Shortnose Sturgeon
- Skate
- Spiny Dogfish
- Summer Flounder
- Surfclam/Ocean Quahog
- Tilefish
- Whiting, Other Hakes
- Aquaculture
- Tribal Relations
-
Quotas, Landings
- Atlantic Herring
- Atlantic Mackerel
- Atlantic Sea Scallop
- Black Sea Bass
- Bluefish
- Butterfish
- Butterfish Mortality Cap
- Haddock
- Illex Squid
- Incidental Golden Tilefish
- Longfin Squid
- Monkfish
- NE Multispecies (Groundfish)
- NE Skate Complex
- River Herring / Shad
- Scup
- Small Mesh Whiting (Hakes)
- Spiny Dogfish
- Summer Flounder
- Surf Clam / Ocean Quahog
- - Quota Report Archives -
- Regulations
- Outreach
- Resources
- Section 7 Consultation
- Community Resilience
Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery Exemption Area
Area: This exemption area is defined by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
N. Latitude | W. Longitude |
42°10’ | 68°10’ |
41°30’ | 68°41’ |
41°30’ | 68°30’ |
41°12.8’ | 68°30’ |
41°05’ | 68°20’ |
41°55’ | 67°40’ |
42°10’ | 68°10’ |
Season: June 15 – October 31, unless otherwise specified by notification in the Federal Register.
Gear: A minimum mesh size of 3-inch square or diamond mesh, applied to the first 100 meshes (200 bars in case of square mesh) for a vessel greater than 60 feet in length, or 50 meshes (100 bars in case of square mesh) for a vessel less than or equal to 60 feet in length, counted from the terminus of the net.
Possession Limits:
- Red Hake: 3,000 lb
- The Whiting (Silver hake and offshore hake combined): 30,000 lb
Note: Possession limits may be reduced to 2,000 lb for whiting and 400 lb for red hake if the in-season possession limit triggers are reached.
Additional Incidental Species Allowed: While fishing in this exemption area, vessels may not fish for, possess on board, or land any species of fish other than small-mesh multispecies (hakes) and the following species as incidental catch:
- Atlantic herring;
- Longhorn sculpin;
- Squid;
- Butterfish;
- Spiny dogfish;
- Atlantic mackerel;
- Monkfish and monkfish parts – up to 10%, by weight, of all other species on board or up to 50 lb tail weight (146 lb whole weight) of monkfish per trip, whichever is less; and
- American lobster – up to 10%, by weight, of all other species on board or 200 lobsters, whichever is less, unless otherwise restricted.
Additional Requirements: Participating vessels must carry a Letter of Authorization (LOA) issued by the Regional Administrator, valid for a minimum of 7 days. Participating vessels may withdraw from the program no earlier than 7 days from the date of enrollment. LOAs, and withdrawals, may be obtained from the Northeast Region Permit Office at (978) 281-9370. For more information, click here.
Small mesh may not be used outside the Cultivator Shoal Exemption Area in either the Western or Eastern US/Canada Areas or elsewhere on GB except in the SNE Exemption Area. When transiting the Gulf of Maine (GOM) or Georges Bank (GB) Regulated Mesh Areas (RMAs), any nets with a mesh size smaller than the RMA minimum mesh size must be stowed and unavailable for immediate use.