The following chart has been provided by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. It gives visual and physical descriptions of the various herring species you may encounter on the water. 
Reminder – Blueback Herring and Alewife are prohibited to take, possess or sell

Click here to View the Chart

Groundfish – In a recent announcement by the New England Fisheries Management Council, it appears that emergency actions will take place on May 1^st for efforts to reduce mortality of Gulf of Maine cod. This will likely result in the minimum length for cod in federal waters will be increased to 24 inches. An official release on the increase should come later in the month. You can get up to date information at the Council web page, www.nefmc.org, on the multispecies page.

Ocean Management Plan (S2308) – This has been moving in our direction with this bill in part to the efforts of the club president, Kevin Moore, and the membership that took the time to write letters. I want to give a big thanks to Kevin for his efforts in producing a very informative and professional letter that went to various legislators. Thank you, too, for those of you that wrote individual letters. We still have a way to go, however, before this legislation is defeated or amended to address our concerns.

The House ResourcesCommittee passed the American Fisheries Management and Marine Life Enhancement Act (HR 5018). This legislation will protect anglers and the jobs that depend on them. The House of Representatives will consider voting on this bill over the summer.  The changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the nation's primary fisheries law, will promote conservation and recreational fishing.
Click here to View the Full Announcement from the RFA