Released Catch Affidavit

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
NORTHEAST REGION
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930-2298

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 NMFS 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: (1) You determine there is a
compelling safety reason preventing the catch from being brought aboard, (2) mechanical
failure prevents the catch from being brought aboard, or (3) 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 this released catch affidavit form. The completed and signed form must be mailed
to the following address within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip: National Marine
Fisheries Service, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA,
01930.

To be Completed by Vessel Captain
Vessel Name

Permit Number

Date & Time

Vessel Trip Report Serial Number

 Vessel Safety
 Mechanical Problems

Dogfish
Please provide additional details on why the codend was released:

Primary Reason for Release:

Pounds
Estimated total weight of tow:
Estimated total weight of all fish
released:

Signature

--Signature of this form certifies that the vessel operator attests that the information provided on this form is true, complete and correct to the
best of their knowledge, and made in good faith (18 U.S.C. 1001). Making a false statement on this form is punishable by law.

Information obtained from the affidavit is held confidential as required by NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Confidentiality of Fisheries
Statistics, and would be used only in summarized form (without identifying the source of data, i.e., vessel name, owner, etc.) for management of
the fishery in the future.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information. Send
comments regarding this burden estimate or suggestions for reducing this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information to
NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
OMB Approval No. 0648-0674, expires 7/31/27; OMB Approval No. 0648-0679, expires 11/30/24