Commercial Saltwater Fishing — Finfish

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New Hampshire has an active commercial marine fishing industry. Commercial finfish harvesting occurs almost exclusively in federal waters. State licenses may be required to harvest, transport, sell, or possess.

Reporting Requirements: Any person holding a permit to net or harvest from coastal waters must submit a monthly report of fishing activities. Forms are available from the Fish and Game Marine Division. Fishermen must also participate in the National Marine Fish- eries Service Vessel Trip Report program, if they have a federal permit.

Groundfish: See tables below for specific information and Definitions for a list of ground- fish species.

No mobile gear may be used to take finfish or crustaceans in state waters.
Minimum mesh size for gillnets and mobile gear is 6.5 inches to take, transport or possess groundfish.
All federally permitted vessels must abide by current federal trip limits for groundfish.

New Hampshire Commercial Saltwater Fishing Regulations
Species	Min. Length (total length)	Limit	Closed Season/Day	Special Rules
American Eel	9 inches	No limit	Fishway closures: October 2 – June 14	See Coastal Harvest Harvest Permit required if taken by any method other than angling
American Plaice*	12 inches	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
American Shad	No min. length	No limit	No closed season	All shad taken in State waters must be immediately released Commercial landing cannot exceed 5% of the total landing by weight per trip
Atlantic Cod*	19 inches	See footnote**	April 1 – June 30	See Gulf of Maine Cod Spawning Protection Area map in Cod Spawning Protection Area
Atlantic Halibut*	41 inches	1 fish per trip/vessel	Gill net: April 1 – June 30	Head and tail intact
Atlantic Menhaden	No min. length	6,000 lbs./day once state quota harvested	Jan 1 – May 14	Only non-directed or small scale gears permitted in state waters (call 868-1095 for list of allowable gears) See gill net/small-scale purse seine restrictions (Coastal Harvest) No receiving menhaden from harvester at sea or transfer catch while at sea. Daily electronic reporting requirement for menhaden dealers
Atlantic Sea Herring	No min. length	Contact Marine Division for current trip limits: (603) 868-1095	September 23 – November 3 Contact Marine Fisheries for prohibited landing days	Fish and Game Director may revise closure dates Max. incidental catch = 2,000 lbs./day during specific area closures Permit required to possess herring (see License Fees & Requirements) May be possessed without a permit for use as bait when tending lobster and crab pots and recreational fishing
Atlantic Wolffish	No min. length	No limit	Closed	Taking and possession prohibited
Black Sea Bass	11 inches	No limit	No closed season	Length does not include filament/tail extension If harvest with pots or traps call Marine Fisheries (603) 868-1095 for gear specifications
Bluefin Tuna	73 inches CFL***	Variable; see website	No closed season	Under federal management; contact NMFS — 1-888-USA-TUNA or hmspermits.noaa.gov; Commercial saltwater license required for sale
Bluefish	No min. length	No limit	October 1 – June 30 (by any method)
Dogfish, Spiny	No min. length	Contact Marine Division for current trip limits: (603) 868-1095	May 1 – June 30	Subject to additional closures Finning prohibited
Haddock*	16 inches	See footnote**	April 1 – June 30	Head and tail intact, unless fillet is 10 inches minimum
Monkfish	17 inches	No limit	No closed season	Tails: minimum 11 inches; measured from the anterior portion of the fourth cephalic dorsal spine to the end of the caudal fin Livers: shall not exceed 25% of the total weight of monkfish tails or 10% of the total weight of whole monkfish on any trip
Ocean Pout*		See footnote**	Closed	Take and possession prohibited
Pollock*	19 inches	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
Rainbow Smelt (saltwater)	No min. length	4 liquid quarts/day	Net or Weirs: March 1 – December 15 Inland of Memorial Bridge (Portsmouth)	Head and tail intact Bow nets and dip nets held in hand may be used in: Oyster, Squamscott, Bellamy, and Lamprey Rivers Harvest Permit required for nets (see Coastal Harvest) Commercial saltwater license required to sell
Redfish*	7 inches	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
River Herring (Alewife/ Blueback Herring)			Sunrise Wednesday – sunrise Thursday	Harvest Permit required if taken by any form or netting (including chicken wire) See page 19 for specific river regulations and Coastal Harvest Section
Sharks — Blue and Thresher	No min. length	No limit	No closed season	All sharks — head, fins and tail must remain attached through landing Additional federal regulations apply in federal waters (call 1-978-281-9315)
Sharks — Shortfin Mako and Porbeagle	See Special Rules			Shortfin Mako — no take or possession. Porbeagle — No take in state waters. See Fis 603.20 for additional species not common to NH waters.
Striped Bass	No min. length	No limit	Closed	Take by netting prohibited; sale prohibited
Sturgeon	No min. length	No limit	Closed	Take and possession prohibited
Summer Flounder*	No min. length	See footnote**	Closed	Take prohibited
White Hake*	No min. length	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
White Perch	No min. length	No limit	Closed	Sale is prohibited
Windowpane Flounder*	No min. length	See footnote**	Closed	Take and possession prohibited
Winter Flounder *	12 inches	See footnote**	April 1 – June 30	If not federally permitted for groundfish, may possess up to 500 lbs./vessel
Witch Flounder*	13 inches	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
Yellowtail Flounder*	12 inches	See footnote**	Gill net: April 1 – June 30
* All groundfish species that are filleted and skinned must retain at least 2 square inches of contiguous skin intact for identification purposes. Non-federally permitted vessels fishing in state waters with a commercial saltwater license are restricted to current daily trip limits for common pool vessels pursuant to 50CFR648.86. Federally permitted vessels, current federal regulations and trip limits apply. * Curved fork length — See definition in Definitions.