In the commercial fishing business, you have to go where the fish are biting. Whether your desired catch takes you to state or federal waters, you will want to make sure that you have the correct permits to fish, net or trap. For many industrial and commercial fishing operations, obtaining federal fishing permits is a wise business practice. Considering how large federal fisheries can be, as well as the diverse selection of fish that they are home to, enabling your business to access these waters can be a logical and lucrative decision.
The Difference Between Federal and State Waters
If you are a seasoned commercial fisherman, you probably have a navigational understanding of the waters in your area. If you specialize in more than one type of catch, it’s not unlikely that you will find yourself traversing both state and federal waters. As these different areas fall under the purview of different regulatory authorities, they have different permit and licensing requirements. So, where does one end and the other begin?
In most areas, zero to three nautical miles from shore typically falls within state jurisdiction. Anything beyond that–up until 200 nautical miles out–qualifies as federal waters. As you can surmise from those guidelines, many deepwater fisheries are within federal waters, which compels many commercial and industrial fishermen to obtain federal fishing licenses.
How to Obtain Federal Fishing Permits Online
Federal fishing permits are administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is an extension of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Specific permits are broken down by region, including:
Permit requirements tend to vary based on the fish they apply to, but in most cases a standard set of personal information and a requisite fee must be submitted. You can obtain paper copies of all necessary permit applications from the NOAA and opt to complete them yourself. Instead of filling everything out by hand and making a trip to the post office, however, there is a simpler solution.
Work with the Commercial Fishing Permits Center Today
Whether you need a federal permit to fish for Chinook Salmon in Alaska, or a license to trap shrimp in Louisiana, the Commercial Fishing Permits Center offers an easy online pathway for doing so. We are a private service that exclusively specializes in commercial fishing permits in all major U.S. regions.
Take a few moments to explore the navigation menus on the top of our website. You will see that we feature a wide variety of forms for commercial fishing licenses and permits. Using our SSL-encrypted web portal, you can fill out your application and upload any supplemental documents in just a matter of minutes.