NORTHEAST VESSEL MONITORING SYSTEM (VMS) PROGRAM

• VMS vendor and unit requirements (50 CFR 648.9). The type approval requirements for VMS units and satellite service providers are those published by the NMFS Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) in the Federal Register. Both the minimum national standards and any established regional standards must be met in order to receive approval for use in the NE Region. The Regional Administrator approves all VMS units and satellite service service providers operating in the NE Region. Once approved, VMS units must maintain the minimum standards for which they were approved. A listing of approved Northeast VMS vendors and units will be published on the NE Region website and in each proposed and final rule for implementing or modifying VMS requirements. If a VMS vendor is deleted from the list of authorized vendors, vessel owners that purchased a VMS unit from that vendor will be considered aurthorized to use that unit for the remainder of the unit's service life.
• VMS and DAS requirements for vessel owners/operators (50 CFR 648.10). The following vessels must have an installed operational VMS unit:
  • full-time or part-time limited access scallop or LAGC scallop permit
  • occasional limited access scallop permit when fishing under the scallop area access program
  • limited access monkfish, occasional scallop or combination permit electing to provide VMS notifications
  • limited access multispecies permit when fishing on a category A or B day at sea (DAS)
  • surfclam or ocean quahog open access permit
  • Maine mahogany quahog limited access permit
  • limited access monkfish vessel electing to fish in the Offshore Fishery Program
  • limited access herring permit.

VMS units must transmit a signal at least every hour, or at least twice per hour for vessels issued a scallop permit. Tampering with a VMS unit or VMS signal is prohibited. Vessels may power down their VMS units if (1) the vessel will be continuously out of the water for more than 72 hours and the vessel is issued and has onboard a NMFS letter of exemption, or (2) the vessel has a limited access multispecies permit, surfclam/ocean quahog permit, or scallop limited access permit and signs out of the VMS program for a minimum of 30 consecutive days, does not engage in any fisheries and the vessel is issued and has onboard a NMFS letter of exemption. Vessel owners must confirm the VMS unit's operation and communications service by calling NMFS OLE (at 978-281-9213) to ensure that position reports (and a declaration) are sent to and received by NMFS OLE (this is necessary for new owners and owners who replace their VMS units to ensure connectivity between the vessel's VMS and NMFS). If a VMS unit is replaced, the owner must submit documentation to NMFS (OLE) within 3 days of installation and before the next trip that the VMS is an operational, approved system.

• VMS Demarcation Line (50 CFR 648.10). The demarcation line (click here for chart) is defined by straight lines connecting the coordinates below. Vessels subject to VMS requirements that have crossed the demarcation line are deemed to be fishing under the DAS program, the LAGC scallop fishery or other fisheries requiring VMS, unless prior to leaving port, the vessel declares out of the scallop, multispecies, or monkfish fishery. NMFS must be notified by transmitting the appropriate VMS code and must be received prior to the vessel leaving port. DAS counting, with the exception of vessels fishing in the Eastern US/Canada area, begins with the first location signal received after crossing the demarcation line and ends with the first position signal received showing that the vessel crossed the demarcation line upon return to port. The Vessel Demarcation Lines are as follows:

Description	N. Lat.	W. Long.
1. Northern terminus point (Canada landmass)	45°03'	66°47'
2. A point east of West Quoddy Head Light	44°48.9'	66°56.1'
3. A point east of Little River Light	44°39.0'	67°10.5'
4. Whistle Buoy "8BI" (SSE of Baker Island)	44°13.6'	68°10.8'
5. Isle au Haut Light	44°03.9'	68°39.1'
6. A point south of Monhegan Island	43°43.3'	69°18.6'
7. Pemaquid Point Light	43°50.2'	69°30.4'
8. A point west of Halfway Rock	43°38.0'	70°05.0'
9. A point east of Cape Neddick Light	43°09.9'	70°34.5'
10. Merrimack River Entrance "MR" Whistle Buoy	42°48.6'	70°47.1'
11. Halibut Point Gong Buoy "1AHP"	42°42.0'	70°37.5'
12. Connecting reference point	42°40'	70°30'
13. Whistle Buoy "2" off Eastern Point	42°34.3'	70°39.8'
14. The Graves Light (Boston)	42°21.9'	70°52.2'
15. Minots Ledge Light	42°16.2'	70°45.6'
16. Farnham Rock Lighted Bell Buoy	42°05.6'	70°36.5'
17. Cape Cod Canal Bell Buoy "CC"	41°48.9'	70°27.7'
18. A point inside Cape Cod Bay	41°48.9'	70°05'
19. Race Point Lighted Bell Buoy "RP"	42°04.9'	70°16.8'
20. Peaked Hill Bar Whistle Buoy "2PH"	42°07.0'	70°06.2'
21. Connecting point, off Nauset Light	41°50'	69°53'
22. A point south of Chatham "C" Whistle Buoy	41°38'	69°55.2'
23. A point in eastern Vineyard Sound	41°30'	70°33'
24. A point east of Martha's Vineyard	41°22.2'	70°24.6'
25. A point east of Great Pt. Light, Nantucket	41°23.4'	69°57'
26. A point SE of Sankaty Head, Nantucket	41°13'	69°57'
27. A point west of Nantucket	41°15.6'	70°25.2'
28. Squibnocket Lighted Bell Buoy "1"	41°15.7'	70°46.3'
29. Wilbur Point (on Sconticut Neck)	41°35.2'	70°51.2'
30. Mishaum Point (on Smith Neck)	41°31.0'	70°57.2'
31. Sakonnet Entrance Lighted Whistle Buoy "SR"	41°25.7'	71°13.4'
32. Point Judith Lighted Whistle Buoy "2"	41°19.3'	71°28.6'
33. A point off Block Island Southeast Light	41°08.2'	71°32.1'
34. Shinnecock Inlet Lighted Whistle Buoy "SH"	40°49.0'	72°28.6'
35. Scotland Horn Buoy "S", off Sandy Hook (NJ)	40°26.5'	73°55.0'
36. Barnegat Lighted Gong Buoy "2"	39°45.5'	73°59.5'
37. A point east of Atlantic City Light	39°21.9'	74°22.7'
38. A point east of Hereford Inlet Light	39°00.4'	74°46'
39. A point east of Cape Henlopen Light	38°47'	75°04'
40. A point east of Fenwick Island Light	38°27.1'	75°02'
41. A point NE of Assateague Island (VA)	38°00'	75°13'
42. Wachapreague Inlet Lighted Whistle Buoy "A"	37°35.0'	75°33.7'
43. A point NE of Cape Henry	36°55.6'	75°58.5'
44. A point east of Currituck Beach Light	36°22.6'	75°48'
45. Oregon Inlet (NC) Whistle Buoy	35°48.5'	75°30'
46. Wimble Shoals, east of Chicamacomico	35°36'	75°26'
47. A point SE of Cape Hatteras Light	35°12.5'	75°30'
48. Hatteras Inlet Entrance Buoy "HI"	35°10'	75°46'
49. Ocracoke Inlet Whistle Buoy "OC"	35°01.5'	76°00.5'
50. A point east of Cape Lookout Light	34°36.5'	76°30'
51. Southern terminus point	34°35'	76°41'

• Days-at-Sea (DAS) Charging Rules - The DAS charging rules have been revised to meet the regulatory requirements of Groundfish Amendment 16. Click here to view the revised rules associated with each VMS declaration which are effective on May 1, 2010.
• Northeast Port Identification Listing. The March 12, 2008 permit holder letter reminded owners/operators of the requirement that a vessel be "in port" to declare its activity through the VMS or IVR. Click here for a listing of Northeast port definitions which will assist you in selecting a port in order to comply with the declaration requirements. Click here for the Permit Holder Letter of March 12, 2008. Owners are also reminded that the practice of declaring out of a fishery by entering a "DOF" activity code via VMS while in port, transiting to a point inside the VMS demarcation line near the intended fishing location, and changing the VMS activity code to begin a fishing trip is not consistent with the current regulations. Additionally, a vessel that is required to redeclare its activity because it started a trip under an incorrect declaration must return to a port (and not simply inside the VMS demarcation line) to send the correct declaration. Please contact the VMS Team or your local NMFS law enforcement agent if you have any questions concerning this port listing. You are reminded of your responsibility to review this port listing in the event that future modifications are made to the listing.
• Calling a Days-at-Sea (DAS) trip into the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Call-In system.  Owner/operators who are (1) authorized to declare a DAS trip through the IVR system, or who (2) normally declare their DAS trip through their VMS but intend to fish either completely inside the VMS demarcation line or inside and outside the demarcation line, must make their DAS declaration by calling the IVR at 1-888-284-4904. For those trips intended to be fished inside the demarcation line or inside/outside the demarcation line, the owner/operator must also send the "Declare Out of Fishery" (DOF) code from their VMS unit, and be sure the VMS is 'on' and positioning during the trip. DAS will accrue based on the IVR declaration.
  
  Owners/operators who call the IVR will need the following to access the system: federal permit number, operator permit number, and NMFS-assigned personal identification number (PIN). The IVR system will also ask you for a Port Code; click here for the code list. The March 3, 2011 permit holder letter announcing a revision to the IVR system is available here.
  
  Questions? For IVR PINs or questions about the IVR system during business hours, call the Analysis and Program Support Division at (978) 281-9133. If you cannot access the IVR after normal business hours to declare your DAS trip, call OLE's back-up IVR message line at 1-888-487-9994 and leave your name, call-back phone number, vessel name and federal fisheries permit number, and sailing or landing date and time. An OLE technician will enter your information in the IVR database and return your call during normal business hours.
• Alternative Method for Declaring a Trip Prior to Sailing. The IVR alternative declaration method is currently under reconstruction and temporarily unavailable. Until this method is redeployed, activity code declaration must occur by using the vessel's VMS unit. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Listing of Type-Approved VMS Units. There are now four VMS units currently approved in the Northeast Region. One VMS unit is pending Northeast approval. Click here for a listing of Northeast-approved VMS units and the contact telephone numbers for the VMS vendors. The listing also provides the status of approved VMS units in other NOAA Fisheries Service regions.

• SkyMate VMS Users. Please click here to view the revised declaration and forms screens.
• Boatracs VMS Users. Please click here to view the revised declaration and forms macros.
• Thrane VMS Users. The revised declaration and forms screens will be available here in the near future.

• All vessels that will be out of the water for more than 72 consecutive hours, and
• Vessels with a Northeast multispecies limited access permit, sea scallop limited access permit, or surfclam/ocean quahog permit that will remain at the dock or mooring and not engage in any fisheries for a minimum period of 30 consecutive days.
• The requester must send a written request to the Regional Administrator (VMS Team, Office of Law Enforcement) providing the following: Vessel name, Federal fishery permit number, Official number (Coast Guard documentation or State registration number), Exemption period (date the VMS will be turned off and turned back on), and the location of the vessel during the exemption period. Click here for Vessel Monitoring System Power Down Exemption Request form.

• VMS Activity Code Declaration Format (reference document)
• Declaration Codes

• SkyMate VMS Users. Please click here to view the revised declaration and forms screens.
• Boatracs VMS Users. Please click here to view the revised declaration and forms macros.
• Thrane VMS Users. The revised declaration and forms screens will be available here in the near future.

• VMS Activity Code Declaration Format (reference document)
• Declaration Codes