The Massachusetts commercial tautog fishery will be closed effective Tuesday, November 2, 2021 . The commercial fishery will remain closed through August 31, 2022. During the closed period, it is unlawful for fishermen to possess and land tautog for commercial purposes. Additionally, it is unlawful for seafood dealers to purchase or receive tautog from fishermen.
In the coming weeks, commercial fishermen will receive a letter from DMF describing how to return all unused Tautog ID Tags and how to submit a Tautog ID Tag Accounting Report. Seafood dealers are reminded that they must sell off all tautog that bear a 2021 MA Tautog ID Tag prior to Tuesday, November 16, 2021. If such fish cannot be sold off, they must be discarded or disposed of. Lastly, before February 28, 2022, all seafood dealers and purveyors are required to liquidate all tautog with a 2021 Tautog ID, regardless of state of origin.
Commercial fishermen are required to submit monthly trip-level reports by the fifteenth of the following month, even if their permit is not fished. Reports should be sent to DMF Statistics Project, 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930. Failure to submit these reports for all months of the year in a timely manner may result in the non-renewal of a commercial permit and its endorsements in 2022.
