Atlantic Menhaden Regulations in Maine (2026)

Where

Statewide

Bag limit

State Allocation Fishery: It is unlawful to harvest menhaden prior to the opening of the state allocation fishery, starting on Monday, August 31, 2026, at 12:01 AM. Following the opening of the state allocation fishery and prior to the closure of the state allocation fishery, it is unlawful to fish for or land menhaden except between 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM on Mondays and Thursdays each week. It is unlawful to fish for, take or possess more than 7,000 pounds per harvester vessel per day. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to sell, give or transfer menhaden they have taken to any other vessel while at sea. It is unlawful to receive menhaden from a harvester vessel while at sea. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to complete more than one landing per calendar day. For the purpose of enforcing these limitations, the Department shall use the definitions provided in 41.25. Starting on Monday, August 31, 2026 at 12:01 AM, pound net, stop seine and fish weirs may land, take or fish seven days a week and have a weekly landing limit of 14,000 pounds per harvester vessel. Episodic Event Set-Aside (EESA) Fishery: Following the opening of an EESA fishery and prior to the closure of the EESA fishery, it is unlawful to fish for or land menhaden except between 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM on Mondays and Thursdays each week. It is unlawful to fish for, take or possess more than 14,000 pounds per harvester vessel per week. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to sell, give or transfer, menhaden they have taken to any other vessel while at sea. It is unlawful to receive menhaden from a harvester vessel while at sea. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to complete more than one landing per calendar day. For the purpose of enforcing these limitations, the Department shall use the definitions provided in 41.25. Upon notice to license holders, the limit is 7,000 pounds per harvester vessel per day when more than one state is participating in the EESA fishery. Incidental Catch and Small Scale Fishery: It is unlawful to fish for, take, possess or land more than 5,950 pounds per harvester vessel per day. It is unlawful to fish for or land menhaden except between 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each week. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to make more than one landing per calendar day. For the purpose of enforcing these limitations, the Department shall use the definitions provided in 41.25, except that it is unlawful during the incidental catch and small scale fishery for a harvester vessel to sell, give or transfer, menhaden they have taken to any other vessel while at sea. It is unlawful to receive menhaden from a harvester vessel while at sea. It is unlawful for a harvester vessel to complete more than one landing per calendar day.

Season

2. It is unlawful to fish for, take or land menhaden except between May 1 and November 30, both days inclusive.

• 3. It is unlawful to fish for or take Atlantic menhaden by vessels rigged with a midwater, otter or beam trawl net in Maine territorial waters.
• 4. It is unlawful to use a vessel to fish for or take menhaden that exceeds 50 feet overall length as shown on the vessel’s current USCG documentation or State registration.
• 6. It is unlawful for the holder of a menhaden license to take menhaden using a gear type not authorized for their license type, as specified in either section 41.30 or 41.40. Permitted gears include anchored/staked gillnets, bait gillnets, cast nets, drift gill nets, fish weirs, floating fish traps, fyke nets, hand seines, hand lines, hook and line, stop seines, pots, pound nets, and purse seines. Permitted gears are dependent upon which commercial fishery phase is open.
• It is unlawful during the Incidental Catch and Small Scale Fishery to use any gear type other than the following: bait gillnets (including anchored/staked gillnets or drift gill nets), cast nets, pots, hand seines, hook and line, pound nets, fish weirs, fyke nets, and floating fish traps.
• The state allocation fishery is open until such time as the Department has landings information that the quota assigned to Maine by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has been reached or could be exceeded. At that time, the Department will notify commercial menhaden license holders by direct notice to the email address provided by the license holder, public notice in a newspaper circulated in the area affected, and on the Department’s publicly accessible website, of the closing date for the state allocation fishery. It is unlawful to fish for menhaden after the closing date of the state allocation fishery, unless the Department has opened the episodic event fishery, or the incidental catch and small scale fishery.
• The Commissioner may extend or reopen the State Allocation Fishery at any time with notice to commercial menhaden license holders, should a quota increase or quota transfer of menhaden be received via allocation adjustments of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden.
• All harvesters must report all landed and retained fish daily to the Department via an approved electronic reporting option by 11:59 PM the day of landing or retention. If no landings or retention occurred on a calendar day, a negative report is required.
• All menhaden must immediately be stored in barrels, crates, fish tanks or fish totes, or a combination thereof, upon harvest. All menhaden must be contained in barrels, crates, fish tanks or fish totes on both the harvester vessel and the dory towed by the harvester vessel, if utilized.

Official source