Commercial Fishing Licenses

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Any person engaged in commercial fishing and any vessel used for commercial fishing must possess a valid commercial fishing license. Licenses are available at the following locations:
2065 Hwy. 278 S.E., Social Circle, GA 30025  (800) 366-2661
  
One Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA  31520 (912) 264-7237
 
22814 Highway 144, Richmond Hill, GA 31324 (912) 727-2111
 
Effective December 1, 2010 the Georgia Department of Natural Resources will begin collecting legal residency affidavits from applicants for all public benefits.  By definition, public benefits include all types of commercial fishing licenses.  Each applicant will need to sign an affidavit indicating legal residency in the United States before they are allowed to purchase a commercial fishing license.  Legal residency means a United States citizen, a legal permanent resident 18 years old or older, a qualified alien or nonimmigrant under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, Title 8 U.S.C., as amended.  For the latter, the applicants alien number issued by the Department of Homeland Security or other federal immigration agency is required.
 
If you will be traveling to a DNR office to purchase commercial fishing licenses for anyone other than yourself, affidavits will need to be provided for each applicant (including witnessing by a notary public). To assist in this new requirement, affidavits and commercial license applications have been placed online at www.CoastalGADNR.org.   If purchasing your own license, DNR license clerks are notaries and will notarize your affidavit.  If you have questions, please direct them to Doug Haymans at (912) 264-7218 or doug.haymans@gadnr.org.
The applications and affidavits are available to download as pdf files:
 
Personal Commercial Fishing License (including crab and castnet)
 
 
 
Licenses are valid from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.  License fees are as follows:
  • Resident commercial fishing license - $12
  • Resident cast-net shrimp license - $250
  • Resident crabbing license - $12 + $2/pot
  • Non-resident commercial fishing license - $118
  • Non-resident cast-net shrimp license - $2,500
  • Non-resident crabbing license - $118 + $2/pot
Resident vessel license fees:
  • Trawlers up to and including 18 feet overall length - $50
  • Trawlers over 18 feet - $50 + $3 per foot over 18 feet
  • Non-trawlers up to and including 18 feet overall length - $5
  • Non-trawlers over 18 feet  - $5 + .50 per foot over 18 feet
Non-resident vessel license fees:
  • Same as above with an additional $25 fee.
NOTE:  All commercial seafood products landed in Georgia must be reported to the Department of Natural Resources via a trip ticket.   For information regarding trip tickets please contact Julie Califf, Commercial Fisheries Statistics Coordinator