There has been a bit of discussion among some dive operators here in NC about the requirement that all charter vessels fishing in the EEZ (Federal waters) possess permits to take fish. When I was commercial blue fin tuna fishing I got the NOAA Operator card and endorsements for HMS (high migratory species like billfish and tuna), Dolphin/Wahoo and Grouper/Snapper. When I gave up BFT fishing, I let them lapse (more an oversight than intentional).
We do limited spearfishing, and sometimes pull a feather between dive sites. Tortuga has the NC Blanket recreational license that covers my customers while on the boat, but I also carry a personal saltwater fishing license. I did a little research to see if it was necessary to renew the federal permits. The State MF dept initially told me no, but then came back with a call from the head of the Marine Patrol saying "just to be safe" that I should carry those federal permits, although it seemed the state has no desire to enforce them, but who knows?
He gave me the name of the local federal enforcement agent. I talked to the folks at the Southeast Region of National Marine Fisheries and they said they were absolutely required, of course. I was wondering who might enforce these regulations, if it was the state Marine Patrol or the Feds.
So bottom line is, if you let people spearfish or troll on your dive trips, it might be the safest thing to do to comply. The fishing permits require that the operator of the vessel have a NOAA Operator card to be valid. That is $50. The fishing endorsements are $25 for the first one and $10 for each additional. So with the Charter/Headboat HMS, Snapper/Grouper and Dolphin/Wahoo it comes to $45.
The down side is that it opens you up to a bunch of additional headaches, like required catch reporting and carrying a turtle release kit. But, failure to comply could result in hefty fines. I think it is just another way to eek out another $100 from us, but what are you going to do?
There is a list of current permit holders online as public record, so if yours aren't current or you don't have them at all then I would reconsider. You never know when somebody might drop a dime on you. Or the other option is just don't allow fishing on your dive charters.
We do limited spearfishing, and sometimes pull a feather between dive sites. Tortuga has the NC Blanket recreational license that covers my customers while on the boat, but I also carry a personal saltwater fishing license. I did a little research to see if it was necessary to renew the federal permits. The State MF dept initially told me no, but then came back with a call from the head of the Marine Patrol saying "just to be safe" that I should carry those federal permits, although it seemed the state has no desire to enforce them, but who knows?
He gave me the name of the local federal enforcement agent. I talked to the folks at the Southeast Region of National Marine Fisheries and they said they were absolutely required, of course. I was wondering who might enforce these regulations, if it was the state Marine Patrol or the Feds.
So bottom line is, if you let people spearfish or troll on your dive trips, it might be the safest thing to do to comply. The fishing permits require that the operator of the vessel have a NOAA Operator card to be valid. That is $50. The fishing endorsements are $25 for the first one and $10 for each additional. So with the Charter/Headboat HMS, Snapper/Grouper and Dolphin/Wahoo it comes to $45.
The down side is that it opens you up to a bunch of additional headaches, like required catch reporting and carrying a turtle release kit. But, failure to comply could result in hefty fines. I think it is just another way to eek out another $100 from us, but what are you going to do?
There is a list of current permit holders online as public record, so if yours aren't current or you don't have them at all then I would reconsider. You never know when somebody might drop a dime on you. Or the other option is just don't allow fishing on your dive charters.
