Commercial Fishing Vessels

Seventy Foot Fishing Boat Restriction Law

Conditions of the Law

Commercial fishing vessels docked at Woodcliff Canal in
Freeport, New York. Photo credit: NOAA

On July 23, 1997, the New York State Legislature amended Section 13-0349 of the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL). This law restricts the length of commercial fishing vessels used to take fish, squid, crabs, lobsters, oysters, scallops and all types of clams and mussels from New York's marine and coastal district (waters within three nautical miles from the coast line and all tidal waters within the state) to no longer than seventy feet in registered length.

The law does allow for exemptions. If a commercial vessel was used to fish in New York State waters before July 1, 1997 in a licensed commercial fishery, it is exempt from the seventy foot limit. A list of the commercial fishing vessels known to be exempt at this time is in the table below.

Amended Law

On September 17, 2010, an amendment to the law (ECL 13-0349) allows the following:

1. An exempt vessel that is seventy feet or longer may be replaced one time with a new vessel. This new vessel may only be up to ten percent longer than the vessel's registered length. (The table below lists these exempt vessels and the maximum replacement vessel length).
2. A vessel that is sixty-three feet or longer may be replaced one time with a new vessel. The new vessel may only be up to ten percent longer than the vessel's registered length.

The "Laws of New York" listed online provide text of this amended ECL 13-0349 (link leaves DEC website). To find this law click on the link, click on ENV, find Article 13, then click on the appropriate law.

List of Exempt Vessels

Below is the list of vessels longer than seventy feet that are exempt from the law, and which may be used in commercial fishery activities in the marine and coastal district. In addition to listing the current registered length of the vessel, the table also lists the length that the replacement vessel may obtain.

If you have any questions about this list, please contact the Division of Marine Resources by email or by telephone at 631-444-0470.

Vessels Exempt from the Seventy Foot Restriction
The following are sorted by "Vessel Documentation Number"