Greater Atlantic Region Forms and Applications Summary
A list of forms and applications, including for permits, by fishery that you may need if you fish in the Greater Atlantic Region.
All Fisheries
Below are a list of applications and forms you may need if you are fishing in the Greater Atlantic Region. All of these forms are available on Fish Online, unless otherwise stated. If you need help with setting up an account, or have any other questions about these forms and applications, please contact our Permits Office.
Initial Permit Application
If you are a new owner of a vessel or your vessel is new to our region, you will need to complete the initial vessel application. If you have a specific questions are encouraged to contact the Permit Office at (978) 282‐8438 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET or email NMFS.GAR.Permits@noaa.gov.
Initial Vessel Operator Permit
Vessel operator permits are required for any operator of a charter/party boat and or a commercial vessel (including carrier and processor vessels) issued a vessel permit from the Greater Atlantic Region and possessing or fishing for Atlantic Sea Scallops, Northeast Multispecies, Spiny Dogfish, Monkfish, American Lobster, Atlantic Herring, Atlantic Surfclam, Ocean Quahog, Maine Mahogany Quahog, Atlantic Mackerel, Loligo Squid, Illex Squid, Butterfish, Scup, Black Sea Bass, Tilefish, Skates, Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab, Atlantic Bluefish, in or from the EEZ and Mid-Atlantic Forage Species or Atlantic Chub Mackerel within the EEZ from New York through North Carolina.
Initial Dealer Permit
You need to submit a federal Greater Atlantic Seafood Dealer initial permit application. Dealers need permits for each managed species that they purchase from a vessel that has a Greater Atlantic Region vessel permit.
You must have that permit in your possession if:
- You purchase any of fish or shellfish harvested from federal waters (EEZ) (see application on Fish Online for a complete list)
- You purchase Atlantic tunas harvested from federal or state waters, or
- You purchase fish or shellfish from a vessel issued a federal Greater Atlantic Region vessel permit.
Vessel Ownership Form
Completion of this vessel ownership form is required with each application for a Greater Atlantic Region federal fishing permit. All persons that have an ownership interest in a business or vessel include, but are not limited to, persons who are shareholders in a corporation or LLC, persons in a general or limited partnership, and any person with an ownership interest in the vessel or business of this application.
Vessel Replacement, Upgrade, and Confirmation of Permit History
Use this vessel replacement form to report a vessel replacement or upgrade, or request a confirmation of permit history.
Vessel Landing History Request
Because the information submitted in vessel and dealer reports is confidential, it can only be provided, with limited exceptions, to the individual who submitted the information, unless that individual provides written authorization to the Agency to release it to someone else. Use this vessel landing history request form to request catch/landings data.
Exempted Fishing Permits, Letters of Acknowledgement, Scientific Research Permits, Exempted Educational Activity Authorizations, Temporary Possession Permits
Please review our guidance for researchers, particularly those involved in cooperative research, to assist with understanding whether an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), Letter of Acknowledgement (LOA), Exempted Educational Activity Authorization (EEAA), or Temporary Possession Permit is an appropriate document to obtain prior to beginning a project. For additional information about research permits and LOAs, please contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division at (978) 281-9315, or email nmfs.gar.researchpermit@noaa.gov.
Online applications are submitted through our Fish Online portal. For help with Fish Online, please contact our Helpdesk at (978) 281-9188.
Letter of Authorization (LOA)
When requesting a Letter of Authorization, please check the LOA form for each LOA’s enrollment season and minimum enrollment duration. Please note that a vessel must hold a valid permit in the fishery for which an LOA is requested. For additional information on LOAs, review our LOA program summary page or call the Sustainable Fisheries Division at (978) 281‐9315.
Marine Mammal Serious Injury and Mortality Reporting Form
Use our online reporting form only when there is an incidental or intentional mortality or injury to a marine mammal during commercial fishing activities. You are required to report the mortality or injury within 48 hours after the end of the fishing trip (even if an observer is on board), or, for non-vessel fisheries, within 48 hours of an occurrence of a mortality or injury. A separate report form is required for each fishery, for each date, and for each location.
Questions? Contact NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, (301) 427-8402, nmfs.mireport@noaa.gov.
Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP) Certification
If you have a state and/or federal fishing license, you are not required to submit a Marine Mammal Authorization Program registration/renewal form. Your registration is automatic, and will be automatically renewed. You should receive an authorization certificate in the mail.
You may also download and print your certificate:
- New England/Mid-Atlantic Authorization Certificate (PDF, 2 pages)
Get more information on MMAP Certification.
All Seafood Processors
Processed Products Reporting Form
Annual fishery processed products reporting form.
Supplemental Economic Survey Form
This survey by NOAA Fisheries collects data on U.S. firms that process fishery products in order to better understand the potential economic impacts of commercial fisheries management actions.
Letter to Processors and Reporting Instructions
American Lobster
Lobster Trap Tag Order Form 2020
Order federal lobster trap tags. Do not use this trap tag order form if the address listed on your federal lobster permit is in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island; or if you possess a State of Maine lobster license; or if you possess a New York lobster license and you elected Area 6 only. If any of these conditions apply to you, you must purchase your trap tags through your state.
Trap Transfer Application
Use this trap transfer form to request a permanent transfer of American lobster traps in Area 2, 3, or the Outer Cape.
Atlantic Herring, Atlantic Mackerel, Squid or Butterfish
Released Catch Affidavit
If you are fishing with midwater trawl gear in the groundfish closed areas or your limited access herring, mackerel, or squid/butterfish vessel is carrying a NOAA Fisheries observer, you must bring all catch aboard the vessel and make it available to the observer for sampling.
You may release catch before it is brought aboard if:
- You determine there is a compelling safety reason preventing the catch from being brought aboard,
- Mechanical failure prevents the catch from being brought aboard, or
- Spiny dogfish clog the pump and prevent the catch from being pumped aboard.
If you release catch, even for one of the reasons described above, you are required to complete a released catch affidavit form. The completed and signed released catch affidavit form must be submitted within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip.
Atlantic Sea Scallop
Application: Scallop Access Area Allocation Exchange Form (2020)
To request a Sea Scallop Access Area allocation exchange between two vessels, please use the following forms: full-time vessels, part-time vessels. Allocations may be exchanged on a one-for-one basis provided you have the full 9,000 pounds for full-time vessels or 12,000 pounds for part-time vessels to exchange. One form must be used for each exchange. Vessel operators may not start an Access Area trip requiring the allocation requested below until vessel owners receive written notice that the request has been approved. Written approval or disapproval of the request will be provided within 15 days of receipt of this form.
Application: Transfer LAGC IFQ Scallop Allocation (2020)
This allocation transfer form must be used to request a temporary or permanent transfer of IFQ between two IFQ scallop vessels.
2020 LAGC IFQ Framework 32 Allocations
See the 2020 list of allocations.
Atlantic Surfclam & Ocean Quahog
2020 SC/OQ Cage Tag Transfer Form
Request to transfer Atlantic Surfclam or Ocean Quahog Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) cage tags.
2020 Application for SC/OQ ITQ Permit
Application for Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ)
2020 SC/OQ ITQ Ownership Form
Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) Ownership Form.
Application to Shuck SC/OQ at Sea
In order to receive authorization to shuck surfclams or ocean quahogs at sea, please fill out this application to shuck at sea form.
Atlantic Tunas
Visit our HMS Permit shop for information and permit applications.
Golden Tilefish
Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Allocation Transfer Form
This IFQ allocation transfer form must be used to request a temporary lease or permanent transfer of Tilefish IFQ between two persons or entities that are permanent U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens, or corporations eligible to own a U.S. Coast Guard documented vessel, as long as they meet the requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Initial Tilefish IFQ Allocation Interest Declaration Form
All persons and entities who have an interest in the Tilefish IFQ Allocation Permit that is the subject of this application must list all the other Tilefish IFQ Allocation Permits in which they have an interest. This declaration form must be submitted with the IFQ Allocation Transfer form.
Northeast Multispecies Only
Please note: All of these forms and applications are available on Fish Online.
Multispecies Days-at-Sea Leasing Form
This days-at-sea leasing form is required to obtain approval for the leasing of DAS under 50 CFR 648.82(k) and to monitor DAS allocation and usage for limited access Northeast multispecies permit holders.
Multispecies DAS Transfer Form
This transfer form is required to obtain approval for the transfer of DAS under 50 CFR 648.82(l) and to monitor DAS allocation and usage for limited access Northeast multispecies permit holders. This DAS Transfer Program application must be accompanied by a vessel replacement application, and all other required documents for a vessel replacement, in order to transfer other federal limited access permits from the transferor to the transferee.
Downgrade Multispecies DAS Leasing Baseline Form
Form for downgrading the vessel specifications Length Overall (LOA) and Horsepower (HP) for DAS Leasing purposes only. This is a one-time DAS Leasing baseline downgrade for this permit that can not be reversed for this vessel and cannot be applied for again in the future, even if the current vessel baseline specifications change through modification or replacement.
Multispecies Sectors Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE) Transfer Form
This ACE transfer form is required to obtain approval for the transferring of ACE under 50 CFR 648.87(b)(1)(viii) and to monitor ACE allocation and usage for each sector.
Northeast Multispecies or Monkfish
Gillnet Tags Order Form
A vessel owner electing to fish with gillnet gear in the Northeast multispecies or monkfish fisheries must complete a gillnet tag form.
Missing Gillnet Tag Replacement Form
Vessel owners are required to account for the total number of tags issued. Should tags be lost, missing, or destroyed, vessel owners/operators must report the missing tag numbers to us as soon as possible using this tag replacement form.
Northeast Multispecies, Monkfish, Sea Scallop, Surfclam/Ocean Quahog
VMS Power Down Exemption Request
VMS Power Down Exemption is available for:
- All vessels that will be out of the water for more than 72 consecutive hours.
- Vessels with a multispecies limited access, monkfish category F (during the Offshore Fishery Program Season), scallop limited access, mackerel limited access, surfclam/ocean quahog, herring, longfin squid moratorium (1A, 1B), shortfin squid moratorium or butterfish moratorium permit that remains at the dock/mooring and does 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)
- Location of the vessel during the exemption period
Use the Vessel Monitoring System Power Down Exemption Request form.
Review the VMS Power-Down Compliance Guide to determine your vessel's eligibility based on your permits and fishing history.
VMS Certification Form
Complete and submit this certification form to the Office of Law Enforcement to certify that your fishing vessel has an operational VMS unit installed by an approved Greater Atlantic Region VMS vendor.
Northeast Multispecies, Monkfish, Sea Scallop
DAS Credit Request Form
Use this credit request form to request DAS credit for three reasons:
- Good Samaritan DAS credit for assisting USCG in search and rescue operation or towing,
- Standing by entangled whales, or
- A canceled trip.
Application to Request a DAS Credit
If you are the owner or operator of vessel that uses DAS and you canceled a trip before fishing, you may request a DAS credit for the canceled trip. You may request a canceled trip DAS credit for any reason, provided you have no fish onboard and no fishing activity was conducted on that trip.
