Are Your Alaska Commercial Fishing Permits Ready for the Season?

With its pristine, natural beauty and scenic mountain range vistas, Alaska is unlike anywhere else in the United States. Known as the Frontier State for a reason, Alaska instils a feeling of true freedom, and its vast expanse of untouched wilderness has a strong appeal to outdoors enthusiasts. Alaska is also home to miles and miles of the Pacific Ocean coastline. While these waters afford boaters incredible views, they are also home to some of the most valuable, in-demand seafood in the world. For this reason, this northern state is home to a lot of commercial fishing operations. If you call Alaska home and are thinking about setting up your own commercial or industrial fishing business, you can hardly be blamed. Before you can turn your long hours at sea into dollars, however, you are going to want to make sure that you are carrying the right Alaska commercial fishing permits on board your vessel.

While Alaska may be a hotbed for commercial fishing activity, it is also a state that has conditions not really matched anywhere else in the United States. Between entire 24-hour periods of darkness (or sunlight), and cripplingly cold weather, you need to be prepared for everything before you venture out on the water. This means checking your lines, nets, and traps, as well as making sure that you and your crew have what you need for days or even weeks at sea. You will want to have plenty of warm clothing and ample foodstuffs in your galley. As you check your life jacket supply and replenish your first aid kit, you may also want to review your fishing permits. Commercial fishing is a serious business in Alaska, and state and federal authorities treat it as such.

Finding the Alaska Commercial Fishing Permits You Need

As we near another commercial fishing season in Alaska, you are probably eager to get out on the water and start making some money. Before you cast your lines or drop your nets, however, you need to apply for the proper fishing permits. In order to determine which licenses you will need, you should first consider where you are fishing. If you are operating inland or within three nautical miles of the coastline, you will need state-level permits, which are issued by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Should your business take you farther out onto the water, you will likely need federal fishing permits, which can be obtained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Specifically, this jurisdiction is anything between three and 200 nautical miles out from land. The NOAA breaks out their permits by region, and as Alaska is so large, it has its own territory of permits. Chances are good that you will require permits for both state and federal glasses of water.

Apply for your Alaska Licenses Online Today

At the Commercial Fishing Permits Center, we have easy-to-fill online forms for licenses in Alaska at both the state and federal levels. Simply select “Alaska” from our navigational menu, and you will be brought to a landing page displaying all available permit options.