Commercial Fishery Moratorium and Annual Specifications

(1) Commercial Fishery Moratorium. Unless otherwise authorized by the Director, pursuant to the Declaration process at 322 CMR 5.04(3), it shall be unlawful for any commercial fisherman to retain, possess or land any northern shrimp. (2) Declaration of Annual Specifications. The Director may, by declaration, establish and adjust the manner and times of taking northern shrimp, legal size limits, numbers or quantities of northern shrimp to be taken, and the opening and closing of areas to the taking of northern shrimp as prescribed by M.G.L. c. 130, § 17A and specified by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Northern Shrimp Section. (3) Declaration Process. Annual specifications shall not be effective until: (a) a notice has been filed with the Massachusetts Register; (b) a notice has been published by at least one local newspaper; (c) a copy of the notice has been e-mailed via the Marine Fisheries Listserv and posted on the Division’s website at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries; and (d) a two-week comment period has been conducted by the Division; and (e) it has been approved by a majority of the members of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission. (4) Prohibitions. It shall be unlawful to cull, grade, separate, or shake shrimp aboard any vessel, except by implements operated solely by hand. It is illegal to possess aboard any vessel any powered mechanical device used to cull, grade, separate, or shake shrimp.