Official NH Digest of Regulations - New Hampshire Fish and Game ...

Lobster & Crab
Lobster is one of the most important fisheries in New Hampshire’s marine
waters. The following is a summary of licensing requirements, and
fishing and gear regulations for the harvest of lobster and crab.
License
A license is required to take lobsters and crabs (see page 5). Federal
license required to fish in waters seaward of state waters. The
more restrictive measure applies when fishing more than one
management area.
Legal length
No lobster less than 3¼ inch carapace length, whether alive or
dead, may be transported, bought, sold, given away, exposed for
sale or possessed. No lobster greater than 5 inches carapace length
may be possessed by any person holding a N.H. License to Take
Lobsters (RSA 211:18).
How to measure a lobster
Measurements must be made from
the rear of the eye socket, along a line
parallel to the center line of the body
shell, to the rear of the body shell.
When lobster meat is removed from
the shell, the tail meat must be whole,
intact and not less than 4¼ inches,
when laid straight and measured end
to end (not including the small part
that is on the body end of the tail meat). Possession of mutilated
lobster, cooked or uncooked, will be prima facie evidence that
they are not of legal length.
Lobster meat from outside the state must meet the minimum
length requirements. Hermetically sealed cans of lobster, not requiring
refrigeration and not weighing over 8 ounces net, are
exempt from this provision.
Spawn
No person can remove spawn from any female lobster or take,
serve, have in his possession, sell or offer for sale any female lobster
carrying spawn or any lobster spawn.
Female lobsters
No person can take, buy, sell, or possess any female lobster bearing
eggs. Female egg-bearing lobsters must be immediately returned
alive to the waters from which taken. This does not apply to lobsters
spawning in holding cars or pounds if, upon discovery, they
are liberated alive in the coastal waters (call Fish and Game Law
Enforcement at (603) 271-3361 when discovered).
V-notched
Any female possessing a V-notched
(notched right flipper next to the middle
flipper when underside of female is down
and its tail toward you) or mutilated right
flipper must be immediately returned to
the waters from which it was taken. All
commercial and limited commercial lobster
licensees shall immediately V-notch
and return to the water, all egg-bearing
female lobsters captured in the process
of taking lobster.
Lobster Fishing
Season
Fishing Time
Minimum Size
Maximum Size
Tail Meat Length
V-notch
Egg Bearing Females
Spawn
Federally
permitted vessels—
Non-Trap Limits
Crab Fishing
License
Daily Limit
without License
Daily Limit
with License
Green Crabs
Did You Know
No closed season
1 hour before sunrise to sunset
3¼ inch carapace length
5 inch carapace length
4¼ inch (must be cooked)
• Egg bearing females must be V-notched
• V-notched lobsters are illegal to possess
(zero tolerance)
Illegal to possess
Illegal to possess
• 100 lobsters per day
• Maximum of 500 lobsters per single trip 5 days
or more
• 100 lobsters for any fishing trip when the
duration of the trip in number of hours cannot
be documented by the Department
License required to take more than 12, or by trap
12 rock or Jonah crabs by hand only
No limit
May be taken in any quantity by any legal method
Lobster Gear Regulations: Lobster trap tags
Persons taking lobsters by trap are required to purchase trap tags
up to the maximum allowed by their license (1,200 for commercial;
600 for limited commercial if license held prior to January 1, 2006;
100 for new limited commercial harvesters; 5 for recreational). Additional
trap tags are allowed for routine trap losses. Lobster trap tags
are valid for one year (June 1 – May 31 of the following calendar year).
A valid lobster trap tag shall be securely attached to the frame of the
lobster trap in a manner for which it was designed. For more detailed
information, contact Fish and Game’s Region 3 office, (603) 868-1095.
How to Order Trap Tags
• Trap tags are not based on a calendar year. Trap tags are valid
from June 1 – May 31.
• The new year tags must be affixed to traps by June 1.
• Trap tags can take up to 8 weeks to receive after ordering.
• Recreational tags are ordered through N.H. Fish and Game
Licensing Office — (603) 271-3422.
• All commercial and federal trap tags must be ordered through
the Department’s selected vendor.
• Order forms are available on the N.H. Fish and Game website
www.FishNH.com or from the Department’s Region 3 office
after March 15.
• New order forms are sent out to previous licensees by March
each year.
• Any questions relating to trap tag orders must go through the
Region 3 office (603) 868-1095 – not the vendor.
Lobsters may not be taken by diving, angling, spearing or dipping.
26 2010 New Hampshire Saltwater Fishing Digest