13-188 C.M.R. ch. 55, § 04 - Gillnet Bait Fishing Regulations
It shall be unlawful to gillnet bait fish without a Commercial Pelagic and Anadromous Fishing License or a Menhaden Fishing License from the Department of Marine Resources (DMR).
Except as further restricted in the Menhaden fishery (Chapter 41), it shall be unlawful to fish more than 2000 feet of bait gillnet in territorial waters. Bait gillnet shall have less than 3.5 inches diamond or square stretch mesh throughout the entire net. Bait gillnets must be clearly marked at each end with buoy sticks at least 4 feet in length. The license-holder's name, homeport and Commercial Pelagic and Anadromous Fishing License number or Menhaden Fishing License number must be clearly displayed on every marking buoy.
It shall be unlawful to use a bait gillnet in any tidal waters north of a line drawn from the shore side end of the footbridge at Hopkins Island in Harpswell, thence following the bridge to the southern tip of Hopkins Island, thence east to the southern tip of Sheep Island, thence 90 degrees due east (true) to the Phippsburg shore south of the entrance to Basin Cove. The Western Boundary is the Gurnet Bridge on Rt. 24 in Harpswell.
Exception: Bait gillnets may be fished in these waters if the net is hauled back and tended at least once every four hours.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
It shall be unlawful to use a bait gillnet in any tidal waters north of a line drawn from the shore side end of the footbridge at Hopkins Island in Harpswell, thence following the bridge to the southern tip of Hopkins Island, thence east to the southern tip of Sheep Island, thence 90 degrees due east (true) to the Phippsburg shore south of the entrance to Basin Cove. The Western Boundary is the Gurnet Bridge on Rt. 24 in Harpswell.
Exception: Bait gillnets may be fished in these waters if the net is hauled back and tended at least once every four hours.