West Coast Commercial Fishing Permits for Species in CA, OR, and WA

As a professional, commercial fishing professional, you know you have to go where the fish are. When the fish are highly migratory and travel into the West Coast EEZ (“Exclusive Economic Zone”) you want to go in there after them. However, to do that, you need the right permit. Here at the Commercial Fishing Permits Center, we have many different kinds of West Coast commercial fishing permits. One that gets used often (and especially so at certain times of the year) is our “Pacific Highly Migratory Species Permits.” That way, when you fish are in the EEZ, you’ll have easy, legal access to fish them. 

Who Needs West Coast Commercial Fishing Permits? 

This permit is specifically for commercial or for-hire/charter vessels. Specifically, it’s for those who are fishing for highly migratory species in the West Coast EEZ of Washington, Oregon, and California. The phrase “Highly Migratory Species” may sound complicated, but it actually refers to swordfish, sharks, billfish, and Pacific tunas. If you’re going to fish for any of those in the EEZ of Washington, Oregon, and California, then you’re probably going to want to look into this form. As with all others, we can help you to figure out which forms are right for you as well as how to fill them out and so much more. 

What to Do Once You Have This Form 

In short, keep it on your vessel. It has to be there. You need it to be safe and readily available. If an authorized officer should ask, you need to be able to produce it for inspection. Should this permit have been issued while your vessel was at sea, you’ll need to have it ready to show on any later trip. Moreover, the permit has to be on the vessel it was registered with. You can’t register one vessel and then use this same permit on another. The permit follows the vessel, not the person fishing or the commercial fishing company. 

Simpler Renewal 

The only thing more complicated than staying on top of commercial fishing permits is staying on top of their renewal. As fisherpeople ourselves, we realized that there had to be a better way to do things. So, we’ll take care of that for you. You can renew your forms with us well into the future. That way, you can focus on fishing while we’ll deal with the permits. 

Many Kinds of West Coast Commercial Fishing Permits 

We understand that many of our customers may be fishing off of the Pacific Coast, but not necessarily for Highly Migratory Species in the Exclusive Economic Zone. That’s why we offer as many different fishing permits as possible. Tuna Treaty Permit, Groundfish Observer Catch Monitor Provider Permits, Coastal Pelagic Species Limited Entry Permits and more — we have the permits you need to boost your commercial fishing business; whether it’s on the west coast or anywhere else. For any questions or help with these forms, call (866) 292-4204.