At Least a California Commercial Fishing License and Commercial Boat Registration
You’ll need a California Commercial Fishing License as well as a Commercial Boat Registration.
Additionally, depending on what you intend to fish, you may require other permits and licenses.
Use the following link to apply for a California commercial fishing license.
Use this link to apply for California commercial boat registration.
Here is a link to the rest of our forms pertaining to fisheries in California.
California Commercial Fishing License Forms and Others
The Commercial Fishing Permits Center supports commercial fishing professionals in California by guiding them through the process of locating, applying for, and securing the necessary licenses and permits. The CFPC also provides access to both state and federal forms across the United States.
Relevant laws for California commercial fishing include:
Unless otherwise specified, the following conditions apply to each commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement issued to take, possess aboard a boat, or land fish for commercial purposes and to each commercial boat registration issued by the department, except licenses issued pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030):
(a) The person to whom a commercial fishing permit or other entitlement is issued shall have a valid commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 that is not revoked or suspended.
(b) The commission, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may suspend, revoke, or cancel commercial fishing privileges for a period of time to be determined by the commission for the following reasons:
(1) The person was not lawfully entitled to be issued the license, permit, or other entitlement.
(2) A violation of this code, the terms of the permit or other entitlement, or the regulations adopted pursuant thereto, by the licensee, permittee, person holding the entitlement, or his or her agent, servant, employee, or person acting under the licensee’s, permittee’s, or entitled person’s direction or control.
(3) A violation of any federal law relating to the fishery for which the license, permit, or other entitlement was issued by the licensee, permittee, person holding the entitlement, or his or her agent, servant, employee, or person acting under the licensee’s, permittee’s, or entitled person’s direction or control.
(c) The person to whom the commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement is issued shall be present when fish are being taken, possessed aboard a boat, or landed for commercial purposes. This subdivision does not apply to commercial fishing vessel permits or licenses.
(d) The commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement shall be in the licensee’s, permittee’s, or entitled person’s possession, or immediately available to the licensee, permittee, or entitled person at all times when engaged in any activity for which the commercial fishing license, permit, or entitlement is required.
(e) Not more than one individual commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement of a single type shall be issued to an individual person and not more than one commercial vessel fishing license, permit, or other entitlement of a single type shall be issued for each vessel.
(f) Any landing of fish used to qualify for, or renew, a commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement shall be reported on landing receipts delivered to the department pursuant to Section 8046.
(g) In addition to any other requirements in Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 8040), the name of the person issued the commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement authorizing the taking of the fish shall be included on the landing receipt for that landing.
(h) An application for a commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement shall be made on a form containing the information the department may require. The commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement shall be signed by the holder prior to use.
(i) Any person who has had a commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement suspended or revoked shall not engage in that fishery, and shall not obtain any other commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement that authorizes engaging in that fishery, while the suspension or revocation is in effect.
(j) A commercial fishing license, permit, or other entitlement is not transferable unless otherwise expressly specified in this code.
(k) Every commercial fishing license, permit, stamp, commercial boat registration, or other entitlement issued pursuant to this part, except commercial fish business licenses issued pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030), is valid from April 1 to March 31 of the next following calendar year or, if issued after the beginning of that term, for the remainder of that term.
(l) A person who holds a commercial fishing vessel permit or other entitlement authorizing the use of a vessel for commercial fishing shall also hold a valid commercial boat registration for that vessel, issued pursuant to Section 7881, that has not been suspended or revoked.
(m) A person who holds a commercial fishing license, permit, registration, or other entitlement, who moves or acquires a new address shall notify the department of the old and new addresses within three months of acquiring the new address.
(n) An application to transfer any permit or other entitlement to take fish for commercial purposes shall be deferred if the current holder of the permit or other entitlement is awaiting final resolution of any pending criminal, civil, or administrative action that could affect the status of the permit or other entitlement.
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (f) or (g), no person who is 18 years of age or more and less than 70 years of age, on or before April 1 of the current license year, shall take salmon for commercial purposes or be on board a vessel on which salmon are taken for commercial purposes while salmon are being taken or transported unless that person has a commercial fishing salmon stamp issued pursuant to this section affixed to his or her commercial fishing license.
(b) Except as provided in subdivision (f) or (g), the operator of a vessel on which salmon are taken for commercial purposes shall not permit a person on board that vessel while salmon are being taken or transported unless that person was less than 18 years of age or 70 years of age or more on April 1 of the current license year or that person has a commercial fishing salmon stamp affixed to the person’s commercial fishing license.
(c) Except as provided in this subdivision, the department shall issue a commercial fishing salmon stamp upon application therefor and payment of the fee of eighty-five dollars ($85). For any commercial salmon season preceded by a commercial salmon season in which the commercial troll salmon landings in this state equal or exceed 3,000,000 pounds dressed weight, as determined by the department, the fee shall be increased by twelve dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) for every 250,000 pounds over 3,000,000 pounds of dressed weight landings, except that the total fees as adjusted shall not exceed two hundred sixty dollars ($260).
(d) A commercial fishing salmon stamp is valid during the commercial salmon season of the year in which it was issued.
(e) Upon application and payment of an additional fee equal to that prescribed in subdivision (c), the department may issue an additional commercial fishing salmon stamp for a crewmember to the owner or operator of a vessel who holds a commercial fishing salmon stamp.
(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), one crewmember of a vessel for which a commercial fishing salmon stamp is issued pursuant to subdivision (e) may be aboard that vessel and take salmon for commercial purposes as a crewmember on that vessel without obtaining a commercial fishing salmon stamp under the following conditions:
(1) The crewmember is designated by name and commercial fishing license number on a form furnished by the department before salmon are taken on the vessel when that crewmember is aboard.
(2) The crewmember has a valid commercial fishing license issued under Section 7850.
(3) The commercial fishing salmon stamp for the crewmember is affixed to the form prescribed in paragraph (1) on which the vessel registration number of the vessel is entered and on which the crewmember who is exempted by this subdivision is designated by the last entered name and commercial fishing license number.
(g) Persons who are exempt from the license requirements, or who are not required to be licensed, pursuant to Section 7850, are exempt from the requirements of this section.(a) After deducting the administrative costs for issuing the commercial fishing salmon stamps, the department shall deposit the fees received pursuant to Section 7860 in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount, which is hereby established in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. The money in the subaccount shall be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for new or expanded salmon restoration and enhancement programs in the state that will serve to increase ocean salmon landings. No money in this subaccount shall be used in lieu of other funds appropriated for salmon restoration and enhancement programs authorized by law on or before January 1, 1988.
(b)(1) Thirty dollars ($30) of the fees collected for each commercial fishing salmon stamp issued shall be allocated by the department to be used for raising chinook salmon to a yearling size, at which size they shall be released into state waters. The amount of salmon stamp revenues expended for this purpose in any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount expended by the department for the same purpose during the same period from other funds. The calculation of the amount expended by the department for this purpose shall not include expenditures made by the department for which reimbursements are received from state or federal agencies, public utilities, or private entities for raising chinook salmon to yearling size as part of a fish mitigation program instituted to compensate for the adverse effect of a dam on natural salmon production. If the department expends no funds other than moneys collected from the sale of commercial fishing salmon stamps or moneys for which reimbursements are received as part of an anadromous fish mitigation program for the raising of chinook salmon to yearling size within the period of a fiscal year, the fees prescribed in Section 7860 shall be reduced by an amount equivalent to that portion of the commercial fishing salmon stamp program, as specified in this subdivision.
(2) If the salmon stamps issued pursuant to Section 7860 raise more money for the purpose of this subdivision than is necessary to match the funds expended by the department during any fiscal year from other funds, then the excess salmon stamp revenue allocated pursuant to this subdivision shall be carried over into the following fiscal year.
(c) The department shall post on its Internet Web site an accounting of the projects undertaken with funds from the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount and the costs incurred to administer the program. At a minimum, the Internet Web site shall list the project title, the applicant, a brief description of the project, the amount approved, and the status of the project.
(d) Any moneys that were in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Account as of March 14, 2013, and that were retained in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund shall be transferred to the Commercial Salmon Stamp
Notwithstanding any other law, the department may receive on behalf of the Commercial Salmon Trollers Enhancement and Restoration Program, for deposit in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund established pursuant to Section 7861, funds from sources in addition to funds derived from the sale of commercial fishing salmon stamps, including, but not limited to, grants from the federal government, grants from private foundations, money disbursed from court settlements, and donations and bequeaths from individuals. The additional nonfederal funds shall not be deposited in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount unless the person or entity providing the funds specifically designates in writing, prior to or at the time of transmittal of the funds to the department, that the funds are intended solely for deposit to that subaccount. Funds received by the department that are not designated at the time of receipt as being intended solely for deposit to the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount shall be deposited in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund.