The Facts on East Coast Commercial Fishing Permits

Commercial fishing can be a tough business. In fact, there aren’t many other lines of work that are more dangerous. Every day you head out on the water, you have to handle sharp, heavy equipment and contend with difficult seas. Turbulent weather can also pose a problem, as the fishing season doesn’t always align with optimal times of year for the climate in your area. If you are willing to put your body on the line, though, there is certainly money to be made in commercial fishing. As an international trade, commercial fishing enterprises generate billions every year, and this industry is responsible for generating thousands of jobs annually in the United States. Home to thousands of miles of coastline, our country has some of the most bountiful fisheries in the world. The Atlantic Ocean, in particular, features sought-after, high-dollar species of fish, so setting up shop on the East Coast can make a lot of sense. If you are thinking about doing so, however, you will want to have the correct East Coast commercial fishing permits.

While commercial fishing is a unique business, it is, nonetheless, a business. If you are an entrepreneur in this industry, you still have to take care of some basic paperwork matters from time to time. While you may want to start by making sure you have the right boat and a competent crew, you also need to navigate matters of payroll, overhead costs, and licensing. That last bit is especially important–fishing commercially is a pretty tightly regulated industry, especially when it concerns federal waters. Chances are you will need an assortment of licenses, permits, and endorsements. By knowing how to get what you need online, you can spend less time working on tedious paperwork, and more time out on the water maximizing your catch. Read on to learn more.

Getting East Coast Commercial Fishing Permits Online

Before you can start applying for commercial permits, you first need to gain a strong grasp on what you need. This means considering two important factors: 1. Where you will be fishing, and; 2. What you will be fishing for. These two distinctions will help you hone on in the appropriate permits and licenses. If you will be fishing on state waters, which generally encompass the area between zero and three nautical miles from land, you will want to check with your local state agency for what you need. Federal waters, which are everything from three to 200 nautical miles from the shore, are a different story. Those permits come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA has a number of species-specific permits for the Atlantic and South, and you can use our online, fillable forms to apply for what you need over the web.

Start Fishing and Stop Doing Paperwork

Whether you are trapping lobster in Maine, or catching fish off the sunny shores of eastern Florida, we have the online forms to get the East Coast Commercial Fishing Permits you need. To learn more, browse our selection of NOAA and state-level fishing permits via our convenient navigation menu.