Code of Massachusetts Regulations
322 CMR - Division of Marine Fisheries
Title 322 CMR 12.00 - Protected Species
Section 12.06 - Buoy Line Modifications and Marking for Fixed Gear

Universal Citation: 322 MA Code of Regs 322.12

Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024

(1) Sink Gillnets. The following regulations apply to commercial fishers fishing sink gillnets within the waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth:

(a) Weak Link at Buoy. Commercial fishers shall install a knot-less weak link in the buoy line at the buoy with a breaking strength of 600 pounds.

(b) Weak Links on Float Rope. Commercial fishers shall install weak links in the float rope between net panels with a breaking strength of up to 1,100 pounds.

(c) Anchoring System. Commercial fishers shall anchor the gillnet with an anchor with the holding power of at least 22-pound Danforth anchor.

(d) Buoy Line Marking. Commercial fishers shall mark their buoy lines with a 12-inch green mark at the top, bottom and midway on the buoy line. Except that if the color of the buoy line is green then it shall be marked with white marks.

(2) Massachusetts Mixed Species Pot/Trap Fishery. The following regulations shall apply to commercial fishers fishing in Massachusetts Mixed Species Pot/Trap Fishery:

(a) 1,700-pound Buoy Line Breaking Strength. Commercial fishers are prohibited from fishing traps where any affixed buoy line has a breaking strength of greater than 1,700 pounds. To comply with this requirement:
1. Fully Formed Weak Rope. Commercial fishers may fish traps affixed with buoy lines comprised of fully formed weak rope with a breaking strength of 1,700 pounds approved by NOAA Fisheries pursuant to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.

2. Weak Buoy Line Contrivances. Commercial fishers may fish traps affixed with buoy lines that have a weak buoy line contrivance, approved by NOAA Fisheries pursuant to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.
i. Frequency of Weak Buoy Line Contrivances. Weak buoy line contrivances shall be installed once every 60 feet in the top 75% of the buoy line as it extends from where the buoy line affixes to the buoy down through the water column.

ii. Clean Break. Weak buoy line contrivances shall break cleanly away from the buoy line behind the bitter end of the line. The bitter end of the line shall be free of knots when the weak buoy line contrivance breaks.

(b) Maximum Buoy Line Diameter. Commercial fishers are prohibited from fishing traps where the affixed buoy line has a diameter of greater than 3/8 inches.

(c) Buoy Line Marking Requirements. Commercial fishers shall fish traps where the affixed buoy lines are marked with at least five color coded marks in the following configuration:
1. There shall be one solid red mark that is at least three feet in length within the first 12 feet of the buoy line extending through the water column from the buoy to the trap.

2. After the first 12 feet of the buoy line, there shall be at least four two foot solid or non-solid red marks in the remaining buoy line extending down to the trap with two of the red marks occurring in the top 50% of the buoy line and the other two red marks occurring in the bottom 50% of the buoy line.

3. There shall be no length of buoy line greater than 60 feet without a red mark.

4. If the color of the buoy line is red or red and white striped, then a solid white mark of the same size shall be substituted for the red mark.

5. There shall be no marks in the buoy line that are green, black, silver, grey, purple, or yellow.

(d) Prohibition on Fishing Single Traps. Commercial fishers are prohibited from setting or fishing single traps in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth north of Cape Cod that are seaward of three miles from the mean low tide water mark.

Exception for Billingsgate Shoal. Commercial fishers may set and fish traps within those waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth within southeast Cape Cod Bay that are shoreward of Loran C Line 9960-X-25360 as it runs northeast from 41°47.2' N latitude and 70° 19.5 W longitude in the Town of Barnstable to 41° 55.8' N latitude and 70° 8.4' W longitude in the Town of Wellfleet.

(e) Maximum Buoy Lines for Trawls. Commercial fishers are prohibited from fishing a buoy line on each end of a trawl unless the trawl consists of four or more traps. Trawls of two or three traps shall be rigged with a buoy line only on one end of the trawl.

(3) Commercial Lobster and Crab Traps Seaward of the Waters under the Jurisdiction of the Commonwealth.

(a) Buoy Line Marking Requirements for LCMA 1, LCMA 2, and Outer Cape Cod LCMA. Any vessel registered under the laws of the Commonwealth with a homeport in Massachusetts fishing commercial lobster and crab trap gear seaward of the waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, within LCMA1, LCMA2 and the Outer Cape Cod LCMA, as defined at 322 CMR 6.33, shall mark their buoy lines with at least five color coded marks in the following configuration:
1. There shall be one solid red mark that is at least three feet in length within the first 12 feet of the buoy line extending through the water column from the buoy to the trap.

2. No more than one foot below the three foot solid red mark, which occurs in the first 12 feet of the buoy line extending through the water column from the buoy to the trap, there shall be one solid green mark that is at least one foot in length.

3. After the first 12 feet of the buoy line, there shall be at least one mark in each third of the remaining buoy line extending down to the trap. Each mark shall be at least two feet long and comprised of a solid or non-solid red mark measuring at least one foot in length and a solid or non-solid green mark measuring at least one foot in length. The red and the green marks do not need to be adjacent but shall not be more than six inches apart.

4. If the color of the buoy line is red or red and white striped, then a solid white mark of the same size shall be substituted for the red mark.

5. All red marks in the buoy line shall bear a corresponding green mark within six inches of the red mark.

(b) Buoy Line Marking Requirements for LCMA3. Any vessel registered under the laws of the Commonwealth and a homeport in Massachusetts fishing commercial lobster and crab trap gear in in LCMA3, as defined at 322 CMR 6.33: Lobster Conservation Management Areas, shall mark their buoy lines with at least five color-coded marks in the following configuration:
1. There shall be one solid black mark that is at least three feet in length within the first 12 feet of the buoy line extending through the water column from the buoy to the trap.

2. No more than one foot below the three-foot solid black mark, which occurs in the first 12 feet of the buoy line extending through the water column from the buoy to the trap, there shall be one solid green mark that is at least one foot in length.

3. After the first 12 feet of the buoy line, there shall be at least one solid or non-solid black that is at least one foot long in each A of the remaining buoy line extending down to the trap.

(4) Recreational Lobster and Crab Traps. The following regulations shall apply to recreational fishers authorized to set and fish lobster and crab trap gear.

(a) Buoy Line Marking Requirements. Recreational fishers fishing buoyed lobster and crab trap gear shall mark their affixed buoy lines with a solid or non-solid red mark measuring at least four inches but less than two feet midway between the buoy and the trap. If the color of the buoy line is red or red and white striped, then a solid white mark of the same size shall be substituted for the red mark.

(b) Maximum Buoy Line Diameter. Recreational fishers fishing buoyed lobster and crab traps within waters under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth shall deploy buoy lines with a diameter no greater than 5/16 inches.

(5) Prohibitions regarding Fixed Gear Configuration. The following prohibitions shall apply year-round to all fixed gear:

(a) It shall be unlawful to fish fixed gear with lines floating at the water's surface.

(b) It shall be unlawful to fish positively buoyant groundline.

(c) It shall be unlawful to fish positively buoyant buoy lines, except in the bottom portion of the buoy line provided the section of positively buoyant buoy lines does not exceed A the overall length of the buoy line.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Massachusetts may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.