The U.S. Virgin Islands hosts a diverse commercial fishery. “Commercial” means the taking of marine life for profit or gain, or as a means of livelihood, when the marine life is taken in or outside of the territory, and when the marine life is sold, offered for sale, landed, or transported for sale anywhere in the territory. The USVI has approximately 300 licensed commercial fishers in the Territory.
Commercial fishers in the USVI are required by law to hold a valid commercial fishing license issued by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Every commercial fishing licensee shall furnish to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources – Division of Fish and Wildlife a monthly catch report with respect to marine life taken and any bait used. Catch reports are required whether or not fishing occurred. If you did not fish during the month, a “Did Not Fish” report must be submitted.
Licenses must be renewed annually in order for commercial fishers to remain active. In October 2021, a limited entry license program for hook and line fishing was created to allow entry for fishers who were not able to commercially fish during the 20-year moratorium. Sixty-six (66) commercial fishing licenses were granted for the 2022-2023 fishing year.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but must be submitted by May 1st to be considered for the following fishing year. Fishing licenses may also be transferred between family members or Fisher Helpers. Commercial fishing helpers are required to hold a commercial helper’s permit issued by the Department of Environmental Enforcement.
To apply for a USVI Commercial Fishing License click the button above to begin the process. To help facilitate the timely processing of your application, please ensure to include the following items when submitting your packet:
Application Form – this is the main application form that should be completed and notarized.
Copy of Government Issued ID – this should be a local Driver’s License, VI Voter’s Registration Card, or Passport that was issued in VI.
Applicant must be able to prove residency in the Territory for a minimum on one (1) year prior to application date. If Government ID is not sufficient for this, additional documentation must be provided. Examples of this could be a prior utility bill or a notarized affidavit stating that the applicant has resided on island for at least one (1) year.
If the applicant is under 17 years of age, a notarized letter of consent from a parent or legal guardian must be included with application.
Letter of Intent – This should be a letter that describes, in detail, how the prospective fisher intends to use the commercial fishing license and why they are applying. This is also where the applicant should include any information about their fishing experience (how long, where, tournaments, etc), community involvement within the commercial fishery, other family members involved in the commercial fishery, species they’d like to target, certifications they may have, etc. The more detail/information, the better!
Knowledge Assessment – This should be completed to the best of the applicant’s ability. Let the applicant know that there are resources online (Commercial Fisher’s Handbook).
Copy of Fisher Helper Permit and Recommendation Letter (if applicable) – If the applicant is a registeredHelper, they should provide a copy of their Helper’s Permit and get a notarized letter of recommendation from the licensed commercial fisher that they fish under. If they fish for multiple commercial fishers, they should get a letter of recommendation from each fisher that they fish under.
Additional Optional Documents – if the applicant can provide any of the optional documents, or any other documents that the applicant thinks is applicable, it will only help to strengthen their application and is strongly encouraged. Additional documents include, but not limited to:
Captain’s License
Copy of Vessel Registration
Copy of HMS Permit
Commercial fishing license in another state.
Additional letters of recommendations (notarized)
Business License for current business (does not have to be fishing related, this just shows that they can successfully run a small business)
Any document that the applicant thinks will strengthen their application.
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