NORTHEAST VESSEL MONITORING SYSTEM (VMS) PROGRAM

• What's New?
  • Northeast Port Identification Listing. The March 12, 2008 permit holder letter reminded owners/operators of the requirement that a vessel be "in port" to declare its activity through the VMS or IVR. Click here for a listing of Northeast port definitions which will assist you in selecting a port in order to comply with the declaration requirements. Click here for the Permit Holder Letter of March 12, 2008. Owners are also reminded that the practice of declaring out of a fishery by entering a "DOF" activity code via VMS while in port, transiting to a point inside the VMS demarcation line near the intended fishing location, and changing the VMS activity code to begin a fishing trip is not consistent with the current regulations. Additionally, a vessel that is required to redeclare its activity because it started a trip under an incorrect declaration must return to a port (and not simply inside the VMS demarcation line) to send the correct declaration. Please contact the VMS Team or your local NMFS law enforcement agent if you have any questions concerning this port listing. You are reminded of your responsibility to review this port listing in the event that future modifications are made to the listing.
  • VMS Reimbursement Program. Grant funds are available to eligible vessel owners/operators who have purchased a VMS unit to comply with fishery regulations requiring the use of a VMS unit. The funds will be used to reimburse owners/operators for the purchase price of the VMS unit up to $3,100. In the Northeast Region, the reimbursement program extends to the following implementations: Framework 17 to the General Category Scallop FMP; Framework 42 to the Multispecies FMP; Framework 1 to the Surfclam/Ocean Quahog FMP; and Amendment 11 to the General Category Scallop FMP. VMS units activated prior to July 5, 2006 are not longer eligible for reimbursement. Call the VMS Support Center at 1-888-219-9228 to verify eligibility. Information is also available on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website at http://www.psmfc.org.   Click here for the Federal Register notice of May 6, 2008 announcing a revision to the VMS reimbursement program and current reimbursement procedures.
  • Days-at-Sea (DAS) Charging Rates by VMS Activity Code Declaration. See below for a new spreadsheet that helps you understand the DAS charging rate applicable to each VMS declaration code.
  • Alternative Method for Declaring a Trip Prior to Sailing. Owner/operators are required to declare their activity for every trip prior to leaving port. In order to ease the financial, time and technical burdens associated with declaring the activity through the VMS unit on each trip, NMFS developed an alternative declaration method. The alternative method allows owner/operators to call the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Call-In System to declare their trip, only if the trip declaration will be identical to the trip declaration for the vessel's previous trip. The owner/operator will need to have their vessel's permit number, IVR PIN and operator number when calling the IVR system at 1-888-284-4904. The IVR system will report back to you the last VMS declaration that NMFS' monitoring system had received from your vessel. If the last trip declaration reported back to you does not describe the exact activity that you intend to make, you must declare a new activity code through your VMS unit. Click here for the Permit Holder Letter of September 20, 2007 that describes this program in more detail. Contact the VMS Team for any questions, including questions about IVR PINs.
  • Calling a Days-at-Sea (DAS) trip into the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Call-In system. Owner/operators who normally declare their DAS trip through their VMS unit, but intend to fish either (1) completely inside the VMS demarcation line on the trip, or (2) inside and outside the VMS demarcation line on the same trip, must use the the IVR Call-In system to declare their DAS trip. This is necessary because VMS starts and ends trips as the vessel crosses the VMS demarcation line and the VMS is not able to accurately calculate DAS charged in these situations. When declaring a DAS trip through the IVR, the vessel owner/operator must send the "Declare Out of Fishery" (DOF) code from their VMS unit, and the VMS unit must be on and positioning during the trip. DAS will accrue based on the IVR declaration. Owners/operators who call the IVR will need their federal permit number and IVR personal identification number (PIN) to access the system. Questions about IVR PINs may be referred to the Northeast VMS Team at 978-281-9213. The IVR will also ask the caller for a Port Code for the sailing port. Click here for the Permit Holder Letter of May 8, 2006 that describes this program in more detail. This letter includes a listing of all Port Codes.

• Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Regulations
  • Vessels that voluntarily use, or that are required to use a VMS must abide by the following:
    • Have on board an operational VMS unit from the list of approved VMS vendor published in the Federal Register. The VMS must be tamper proof, operate regardless of environmental conditions, be capable of tracking vessels to 215 nm offshore, provide accuracy within 400 m (1,300 feet), be capable of transmitting messages from vessel to shore, and be capable of archiving Days-At-Sea (DAS) fishing history for a minimum of 1 year (tape, floppy, etc.).
    • A vessel that has crossed a VMS Demarcation Line (click here for chart) is deemed to be fishing under the NE multispecies DAS program (or monkfish/ NE multispecies DAS program if the vessel has a limited access monkfish category C or D permit, unless otherwise allowed), unless the vessel's owner or authorized representative declares the vessel out of NE multispecies, or the monkfish fishery, as applicable, for a specific time period by notifying the Regional Administrator through the VMS prior to the vessel leaving port. The Vessel Demarcation Lines are as follows:

    Description	N. Lat.	W. Long.
    1. Northern terminus point (Canada landmass)	45°03'	66°47'
    2. A point east of West Quoddy Head Light	44°48.9'	66°56.1'
    3. A point east of Little River Light	44°39.0'	67°10.5'
    4. Whistle Buoy "8BI" (SSE of Baker Island)	44°13.6'	68°10.8'
    5. Isle au Haut Light	44°03.9'	68°39.1'
    6. Pemaquid Point Light	43°50.2'	69°30.4'
    7. A point west of Halfway Rock	43°38.0'	70°05.0'
    8. A point east of Cape Neddick Light	43°09.9'	70°34.5'
    9. Merrimack River Entrance "MR" Whistle Buoy	42°48.6'	70°47.1'
    10. Halibut Point Gong Buoy "1AHP"	42°42.0'	70°37.5'
    11. Connecting reference point	42°40'	70°30'
    12. Whistle Buoy "2" off Eastern Point	42°34.3'	70°39.8'
    13. The Graves Light (Boston)	42°21.9'	70°52.2'
    14. Minots Ledge Light	42°16.2'	70°45.6'
    15. Farnham Rock Lighted Bell Buoy	42°05.6'	70°36.5'
    16. Cape Cod Canal Bell Buoy "CC"	41°48.9'	70°27.7'
    17. A point inside Cape Cod Bay	41°48.9'	70°05'
    18. Race Point Lighted Bell Buoy "RP"	42°04.9'	70°16.8'
    19. Peaked Hill Bar Whistle Buoy "2PH"	42°07.0'	70°06.2'
    20. Connecting point, off Nauset Light	41°50'	69°53'
    21. A point south of Chatham "C" Whistle Buoy	41°38'	69°55.2'
    22. A point in eastern Vineyard Sound	41°30'	70°33'
    23. A point east of Martha's Vineyard	41°22.2'	70°24.6'
    24. A point east of Great Pt. Light, Nantucket	41°23.4'	69°57'
    25. A point SE of Sankaty Head, Nantucket	41°13'	69°57'
    26. A point west of Nantucket	41°15.6'	70°25.2'
    27. Squibnocket Lighted Bell Buoy "1"	41°15.7'	70°46.3'
    28. Wilbur Point (on Sconticut Neck)	41°35.2'	70°51.2'
    29. Mishaum Point (on Smith Neck)	41°31.0'	70°57.2'
    30. Sakonnet Entrance Lighted Whistle Buoy "SR"	41°25.7'	71°13.4'
    31. Point Judith Lighted Whistle Buoy "2"	41°19.3'	71°28.6'
    32. A point off Block Island Southeast Light	41°08.2'	71°32.1'
    33. Shinnecock Inlet Lighted Whistle Buoy "SH"	40°49.0'	72°28.6'
    34. Scotland Horn Buoy "S", off Sandy Hook (NJ)	40°26.5'	73°55.0'
    35. Barnegat Lighted Gong Buoy "2"	39°45.5'	73°59.5'
    36. A point east of Atlantic City Light	39°21.9'	74°22.7'
    37. A point east of Hereford Inlet Light	39°00.4'	74°46'
    38. A point east of Cape Henlopen Light	38°47'	75°04'
    39. A point east of Fenwick Island Light	38°27.1'	75°02'
    40. A point NE of Assateague Island (VA)	38°00'	75°13'
    41. Wachapreague Inlet Lighted Whistle Buoy "A"	37°35.0'	75°33.7'
    42. A point NE of Cape Henry	36°55.6'	75°58.5'
    43. A point east of Currituck Beach Light	36°22.6'	75°48'
    44. Oregon Inlet (NC) Whistle Buoy	35°48.5'	75°30'
    45. Wimble Shoals, east of Chicamacomico	35°36'	75°26'
    46. A point SE of Cape Hatteras Light	35°12.5'	75°30'
    47. Hatteras Inlet Entrance Buoy "HI"	35°10'	75°46'
    48. Ocracoke Inlet Whistle Buoy "OC"	35°01.5'	76°00.5'
    49. A point east of Cape Lookout Light	34°36.5'	76°30'
    50. Southern terminus point	34°35'	76°41'

    • If a VMS unit fails to transmit an hourly signal of a vessel's position, the vessel shall be deemed to have incurred a DAS, or fraction thereof, for as long as the unit fails to transmit a signal, unless a preponderance of evidence shows that the failure to transmit was due to an unavoidable malfunction or disruption of the transmission that occurred while the vessel was declared out of the NE multispecies fishery, or monkfish DAS, as applicable, or was not at sea.
    • VMS Power Down Exemption is available for:
      • All vessels that will be out of the water for more than 72 consecutive hours, and
      • Vessels with a Northeast multispecies limited access permit, sea scallop limited access permit, or surfclam/ocean quahog permit that will remain at the dock or mooring and not engage in any fisheries for a minimum period of 30 consecutive days.
      • The requester must send a written request to the Regional Administrator (VMS Team, Office of Law Enforcement) providing the following: Vessel name, Federal fishery permit number, Official number (Coast Guard documentation or State registration number), Exemption period (date the VMS will be turned off and turned back on), and the location of the vessel during the exemption period. Click here for Vessel Monitoring System Power Down Exemption Request form.
    • VMS User Instructions for the Northeast Region (updated through Sea Scallop Amendment 11) - User instructions to supplement the VMS requirements provided in the Northeast Fisheries Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Part 648. These instructions were updated to reflect the regulatory changes and VMS requirements associated with the new Limited Access General Category (LAGC) permits. Also, these instructions remind vessel owners/operators that VMS declarations must be sent from a port (refer to the permit holder letter of March 12, 2008.  Click here for instructions.
      • VMS Quick Reference Guide
      • Determining Positioning Status Of A VMS Unit
    • VMS Certification Form - Complete This Form To Certify That The Subject Fishing Vessel Has An Operational VMS Unit Installed By An Approved Northeast Region VMS Vendor.  Click here for form.
    • VMS Activity Code Declaration Listing (updated through Sea Scallop Amendment 11) - Handy reference document that includes a listing of all valid VMS activity code declarations and their definitions for the multispecies, monkfish, scallop, herring and surfclam/ocean quahog fisheries. For questions, call the Northeast VMS Team at 978-281-9213. Click here for VMS code listing.
    • Days-at-Sea (DAS) Charging Rates by VMS Activity Code Declaration Listing - Handy reference document that includes the Multispecies, Monkfish and Scallop DAS charging rates applicable to each VMS declaration code. This document has been updated to reflect the changes implemented by Monkfish Framework 5 which eliminated the 3-hour provision for Monkfish Gillnet Vessels. As of May 1, 2008, all Monkfish Gillnet trips of 15 hours or less in duration will be charged 15 hours. Click here for the listing.
    • VMS Contact Information - NOAA Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement Northeast VMS Team, Enforcement Hot Line and District Offices, and list of Approved Northeast VMS Vendors.  Click here for contact information.

Last Updated: December 18, 2008