Fishing Permits for All American Regions and Beyond

If you were wondering what was the website in which you were going to be able to get all the fishing permits you were looking for, I’ll have the honor of telling you that you have come to the right place: At the Commercial Fishing Permits Center, you will find the documentation you need to be up to date with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the permits you need for your fishing business on federal waters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and finally, the licenses you can get at each state. Do you want to understand exactly what I am talking about? Find out in the next few lines!

USCG Documentation

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces. They are tasked with ensuring the Nation’s maritime safety, security and stewardship.

If you use your vessel for commercial purposes and it has a net weight of over five net tons, then it needs to be properly registered within this association. Having your boat licensed with the USCG also facilitates you to travel internationally, as the process of entering and leaving foreign ports is much simpler.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The NOAA is the regulatory agency of the US Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charts the seas, conducts deep sea exploration, and manages fishing and protection of marine mammals.

When it comes to fishing businesses, the agency is in charge of issuing federal fishing permits. They do so by dividing the US into five regions: Alaska, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the West and South coasts. Different permits are issued in each region. For example, the Atlantic Tuna Longline Commercial Fishing Permit (Limited Access) can only be obtained in the South and Atlantic regions, where Bluefin tuna is abundant. The Tuna Treaty Permit, to name another, can be obtained in the West Coast region (you can find Albacore over there) given that it allows American vessels to get up to 12 nautical miles into Canadian waters (and vice versa).

Keep in mind that the federal waters in which the NOAA has jurisdiction are those compounded from 3 nautical miles from shore up to 200 nautical miles. After that, they are considered international waters.

State Departments of Resources

When you intend to fish for commercial purposes around the coast, the area compounded between 0 and 3 nautical miles from shore depends on the Department of Natural Resources from each state. As an example, in the state of Alaska, you need to get your fishing permits from the division of mining, land, and water of the Department of Natural Resources.

All of your Fishing Permits at the Same Place!

Getting the commercial fishing permit you are looking for is not a simple task, although it can be. Nobody wants to have to deal with three different departments to be able to set up his fishing business. The Commercial Fishing Permits Center noticed this could be inconvenient, so we created this website to help you out. At our site, it is possible to obtain the correspondent USCG, NOAA, and State documentation you need. You only need to go to the form you are looking for USCG Documentation or switch our site between state and federal paperwork.

If you are still uncertain about what types of documents you need, our friendly staff will be happy to assist you through any of our contact means. Help us to help you!