Fishing & Seafood Permits

To fish commercially for lobsters in federal waters, a vessel must possess a federal lobster limited access permit and the permit must be on board at all times. The operator of the vessel must also have a valid federal operator's permit.

Permit Categories Category 1: Commercial Vessel that fishes for, catches, possesses, transports, lands, sells, or trades bluefish. In 2017, we issued 2,266 Category 1 permits. Category 2: Recreational Vessel that carries passengers for hire

More information on the Atlantic Charter/Headboat for Coastal Migratory Pelagics For-Hire Fishing Permit (Open Access) from the Southeast Region Permit Office.

Information about the Open Access Atlantic Charter/Headboat Permit application for Dolphin/Wahoo fishing from the Southeast Region Permit Office.

Permit Categories Permit Category Description Permits Issued in 2017 Number of Permits in Confirmation of Permit History* Category A Open Access 1,298 Not Applicable Category B Limited Access 4 0 Category C

Information about the Atlantic Dolphin/Wahoo Commercial Fishing Permit (Open Access) from the Southeast Region Permit Office.

Vessels fishing for herring that are less than 165 feet in length overall, less than 750 gross registered tons, or have a shaft horsepower of less than 3,000 may receive one of the herring permits listed below. Herring vessels exceeding the size

Permit categories for Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish

Permit Categories Permit Category Description Permits issued in 2016 LA 2 Full-Time  248 LA 3 Part-Time  2 LA 4 Occasional  0 LA 5 Full-Time Small Dredge  51 LA 6 Part-Time

Information about the Atlantic Shark Dealer Fishing Permit (Open Access) from the Southeast Region Permit Office.