Mid Atlantic Federal Commercial Fishing for Surf Clams and Ocean Quahog

Have you decided to get into the exciting world of fishing for surf clams and Ocean quahog but don’t know where to begin? Did you get your vessel, your equipment, and your crew ready to go out and fish for those creatures and are looking for the final step? You never want to go out on the water until you’re absolutely sure that your permits, licenses, and documentation are, well, watertight. We can help you to acquire and maintain all of the Mid Atlantic Federal commercial fishing permits you might need. 

Atlantic Surf clam and Ocean Quahog

The good news: as of this writing, both of these species are above the target population level. That means you don’t have to worry about overfishing or, alternatively, that the season is going to be shut down early before you can bring in the haul that you want. While the equipment typically used to fish for Atlantic Surf clams can have negative effects on the environment, those are mitigated by the fishery. There are mandatory vessel monitoring systems for both species, and there are minimum size requirements when it comes to the Atlantic Surf clams. So, if you’re looking for new ways to expand your fishing empire, these are a good bet. 

The Different Categories 

There are actually three different permits when it comes to fishing these species. Category 1 is “Commercial Surf clam (Open Access).”  The second is actually “Category 6: Commercial Ocean Quahog (Open Access.)” Both of these are what they sound like: they’re for the commercial harvest and sale of surf clams as well as the commercial harvest and sale of surf clams respectively. In both cases, the catch limit is dependent upon the IFQ allocation held, so you want to be aware of that. The third category is for the “commercial harvest and sale of Maine mahogany quahogs.” Here, the catch limit is 100,000 Maine each year. 

Mid Atlantic Federal Commercial Fishing Permits 

In regards to that third category, it’s a limited access permit, and only for harvesting Maine mahogany quahogs north of 43 50’ N latitude. For all of these forms, you can find them right at our site. If you go there, you’ll find everything you need to be in compliance every time that you fish for Atlantic Surf clam and Ocean Quahog. The parts you absolutely have to fill in have been marked. 

Other Permits in Our Catalog 

When you want to go out and make some money fishing, you want to, well, go out and make some money fishing – you don’t want to sit around filling out forms. That’s why we’ve made our forms that much easier to fill out. As our forms are mobile-optimized, you can fill them out from anywhere (and on any device) so long as you have an internet connection. As you’re buying the equipment, as you’re setting it up on your vessel, or anything else, you can complete these forms in record time. To talk to our staff with any further questions you might have, call (866) 292-4204 or email