Rhode Island
Marine Fisheries License Fees

In accordance with RIGL 20-2-1.1, As Amended Relating to Licensing - Commercial Fishing, there is a moratorium on the acquisition of NEW commercial licenses effective July 11, 2000. All existing licenses (renewals) must be renewed by 4 PM August 15, 2000.

A "resident" is defined as "an individual who has had his or her actual place of residence and has lived in the State of Rhode Island for a continuous period of not less than six (6) months." RIGL 20-1-3.

Resident

Commercial
Multi-purpose

Multi-purpose

$300

Multi-purpose with gillnet

$320

Lobster

Commercial

$200

Recreational Pot (5-pot limit)

$40

Recreational Diving (8/day limit)

$40

Commercial Vessel/Operator

Up to 50'

$200

50' to 99'

$250

99' or more per linear foot

$20/ft.

Scallop

Commercial

$200

Commercial Shellfish

Age 19 or younger

$50

Student age 23 or younger

$50

Age 23 through 64

$200

Age 65 and older (license required)

$0

Dredging for shellfish

$200

Conch/Eel/Misc. Pot

$200

Commercial Finfish

Rod and Reel

$200

Diving

$200

Other (Nets no boat)

$200

Gillnet

$200

Floating Fish Trap

$200

Plus per-site fee

$20

Non-resident 

Finfish (commercial)

Rod and Reel

$200

Diving

$200

Other (Nets no boat)

$200

Trawling per linear foot

$10

Shellfish (recreational)

Season

$200

Tourist (14-day)

$11

Property owner (season)

$25

Landing (commercial)

Non-Res Lobster Landing

$200

Non-Res Finfish Landing

$200

Non-Res Shellfish Landing

$200

Non-Res Multi-purpose Landing

$300

Dealer

 

Lobster Dealer

$200

Finfish Dealer

$200

Shellfish Dealer

$200

Multi-purpose Dealer

$300

 

 

 

US COASTAL STATES MARINE FISHERIES LICENSING STRUCTURES

The following is a DRAFT summary of coastal states marine licensing requirements. Fee structures/limited access/moratoriums and reporting requirements are constantly changing; therefore this table may not contain the most current requirements in some states.

 

RESIDENT FEE

NON-RESIDENT FEE`

LIMITED ENTRY

TRANSFERS ALLOWED

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

ME

$33

$89 Crew

$334

Lobsters Urchins

Apprentice program for Lobsters & Crabs

Monthly/Yearly Reports

NH

$51

$301

   

Monthly shrimp reports

MA

Commercial:

Coastal Lobster-$260

Offshore Lobster/99’+-$260

Boat(60-90’)-$195

Boat(0-59’)-$130

Individual-$65

Seas.Lob-$65

SF/R&R-$55

Sfish-$40

R&R-$35

Coastal Lob Transfer fee-$50

Dealer:

Wholesale Dealer-$130

Wholesale Broker-$130

Wholesale Trucker-$130

Retail Store-$65

Retail Truck-$$65

Retail Boat-$65

Bait Dealer-$65

Special Permits:

N/com Lob-$40

Contaminated Shellfish:

Master-$130

Subordinate-$40

Reg Fishery-$30

Striped Bass-$30

 

All Non-resident fees are DOUBLE the resident fee

Lobsters, surf clam, ocean quahog, fluke & gillnetting

Coastal Access Permits and Coastal Lobster Permits, Restrictions apply

Annual reports required for renewal;

Length restrictions for coastal waters: 90’ vessel registered length or 72’ LOA for draggers and scallopers; purse seine exempt;

No night fishing with mobile gear

CT

$150

$225

Lobster & Finfish

 

Monthly reports required/ weekly dealer reports

NY

Fish- $250

Land-$500

Lobster-$150

Fish-$1250

Land-$500

Lobster-$225

Lob Land-$300

Finfish

Lobster

Crab

Menhaden purse seine for LI sound

Yes, except Lobster & blue crab

Annual renewal window, Monthly reports,

$15K or 50% income from fishing for LE fisheries; no new licenses unless resident/non-resident retires license

NJ

Gillnets-$3-$60/net

Lobster-$100

Crab-$100

Dragger-$100

Menhaden Purse Seine-$20-$1500, based upon Gross Tonnage

Non-resident fee is the same as resident if a resident of NJ is not charged a higher fee than a resident for the same license in the applicant’s state. Otherwise, the non-resident fee is ten times the resident fee.

Crab-$500

Crab

Menhaden

Fluke

Tautog

Horseshoe crab

Black sea bass

 

Annual renewal window

Monthly reports required

90’ maximum size for menhaden purse seine

 

 

RESIDENT FEE

NON-RESIDENT FEE

LIMITED ENTRY

TRANSFERS ALLOWED

OTHER

DE

Fish-$150

Fish-$1500

All other non-resident license fees are ten times the amount of resident fees

Gillnet

Hook & Line

Crabpot

Conchpot

Horseshoe

Crab

Gillnet to spouse or child; hook & line if reporting requirements met; lottery for horseshoe crab

Annual window for renewal; monthly reports

MD

Fish-$150

Fish-$350 or what other state charges residents plus license fee

All species under quota

 

Waiting list/Apprenticeship program prior to fishing within state waters

VA

$150

$150***check

No

   

NC

Fish-$200

Fish-$200 plus the cost charged to NC fishermen by the non-resident’s state, not to exceed $800

Landing-$200 or the cost charged to NC fisherman by the non-resident’s state

   

Monthly trip tickets

SC

$25

$1 for each crab trap over 50

$300

$10 for each crab trap over 50

Trawl

Crab trap

 

Monthly/daily reports

GA

$12

$118

Cast Net

Crabbing

 

Annual window for renewal; daily catch records

FL

$50

$200

Stone Crab; Brevard Co. hard clam fishery until participants <500

No

Annual renewal required; monthly reports; minimum income (5K/25%) requirements for commercial fishing

 

STATE

RESIDENT FEE

NON-RESIDENT FEE

LIMITED ENTRY

TRANSFERS ALLOWED

OTHER

AL

$101

$201

Nets & Seines

Conditional

Annual window for renewal; monthly reports; minimum income (>50%) from fishing; upgrade restrictions

MS

$100

Same as MS resident would pay in licensee state

LA

$55

$460

Mullet;Spotted sea trout; crab trap

No

Annual window for renewal;monthly reports;minimum income (>50%) from fishing

TX

$20

$150

Shrimp

Crab

Restrictions apply, State buyback program for shrimp licenses

Annual window for renewal; monthly reports

CA

Fish-$90

Fish-$150

Lobster

Sea Urchin

Salmon

No for most; Transfers allowed on salmon permits with same fishing power

Annual window for renewal; monthly reports & logbooks; minimum trips/poundage on sea urchins

OR

$50

$100

Salmon

Shrimp

Sea Urchin

Restrictions apply

Annual window for renewal; monthly reports, minimum poundage required on shrimp and sea urchin

 

WA

Salmon, Herring spawn;whiting, pink shrimp, sea cuke/sea urchin, Dungeness crab

Yes on all permits, herring auctioned off

Daily fish tickets and monthly reports

AK

$15-$250

$45-$750

Limited entry on most all species

Annual reporting and fish tickets

HI

$25

$50

Monthly reports