Every Federal Tuna Fishing Permit, All in One Place

If we were playing “Family Feud”, the game in which two families compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions, I am pretty sure one of the most popular answers to name a fish would be either salmon or tuna. While there are other articles on our website that tell you everything you need to know about the salmon, this article will center on the tuna and, particularly, what is the difference between a federal tuna fishing permit you can get, and where to find them. Read on to find out more!

The Atlantic Tuna Longline Commercial Fishing Permit

If you are scrolling through our website you will notice that there are two different federal tuna fishing permits you can get at the Commercial Fishing Permits Center:  the Atlantic Tuna Longline Commercial Fishing Permit (Limited Access) and the Tuna Treaty Permit. Let’s explain both of them.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in charge of issuing fishing permits on federal waters. Federal waters are those compounding the area from 3 nautical miles from shore up to 200 nautical miles. For this purpose, they divide the United States into five regions: Alaska, the West and South coasts, the Pacific Island, and the Atlantic region.

Tuna is abundant in the Atlantic Ocean, yet there are two regions that have access to it: the Atlantic region (of course) and the South coast. Even though there is plenty of tuna, this permit has the idea of regulating the market. There are five different species you can catch:

• Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
• North Atlantic Albacore Tuna
• Atlantic Yellowfin Tuna
• Atlantic Skipjack Tuna
• Atlantic Bigeye Tuna

Moreover, our permit allows you to either renew your permit or simply get it for the first time.

Tuna Treaty Permit

The other federal tuna fishing permit you may get is the Tuna Treaty Permit. Albacore Tuna is abundant in the Pacific Ocean as well. This treaty is an agreement between the Canadian and US governments that allows American vessels to fish for albacore in Canadian waters 12 miles from shore, as well as certain ports to obtain supplies and services and to land fish. The permit also works and vice versa.

However, US Boats under the treaty can only fish in Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from June 15th to October 31st. Canadian vessels can do it until September 15th instead, and the total number of vessels is limited to 45.

Get your Federal Tuna Fishing Permit With Our Help

The two permits are under the jurisdiction of the NOAA, so you can obtain them from their site by downloading the pdf and sending them out. Another option is to do it with our help, the Commercial Fishing Permits Center, where you will also be able to find state permits as well and get everything you need from the same site. Contact us today for more information!