Additional Species-Specific and Federal Licenses and Permits

Updated January 06, 2026 16:11

Commercial licenses expire December 31 each year, unless otherwise noted. You can renew your license online, in person, or by mail.

You also must have additional licenses and permits to harvest some species and/or operate in federal waters.

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If you:

You must have a/an:

Fees and notes:

Harvest shrimp in federal waters

Federal shrimp permit issued by NOAA Fisheries

There is a moratorium on these permits; you may only apply for one if an original permit is transferred to you. View the current list of transferable permits. Contact NOAA Fisheries at 877.376.4877 for more information.

Commercially harvest shrimp for live bait

Special Bait Dealer Permit

$110; see regulations for more details

application

Use or possess shrimp trawls, butterfly nets, skimmer nets, or cast nets

Commercial Gear License for each piece of gear

$25 resident, $100 nonresident. You must have a license for each piece of gear. You must also pay an annual gear fee ($10 resident, $40 nonresident).

Shrimp

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Are the captain of commercial vessel harvesting or possessing oysters	Oyster Harvester License	$100 resident, $400 nonresident; see Mandatory Oyster Harvester Training
Are in charge of an oyster cargo vessel	Oyster Cargo Vessel Permit	$250 resident, $1,105 nonresident; permit holders must have a vessel monitoring system (VMS) acceptable to LDWF’s Law Enforcement Division
Harvest oysters from Calcasieu Lake	Calcasieu Lake Oyster Harvester Permit	No fee
Take and carry oysters from public oyster seed grounds and/or reservations (not including those in Calcasieu Lake)	Public Oyster Seed Ground Vessel Permit and Public Oyster Seed Ground Gear Permit	Public Oyster Seed Ground Vessel Permit: $50 resident, $200 nonresident; issued in the name of the vessel owner; identifies the permitted vessel; cannot be sold, exchanged, or transferred. LDWF is currently prohibited by law from accepting applications for new permits but will be accepting them once a professionalism program is developed. Public Oyster Seed Ground Gear Permit: $200 resident, $800 nonresident; allows license holders to harvest oysters from public oyster seed grounds using a single scraper, tongs, or by hand; a second scraper may be used but requires an additional gear license; maximum of two scrapers per vessel. No oyster harvest allowed in Sabine Lake.
Harvest oysters from a private lease in Louisiana and land them outside of Louisiana	Out-of-State Oyster Landing Permit	$100 resident and nonresident; the permit is valid for one calendar year; apply in person at LDWF; permit holders must have a VMS acceptable to LDWF’s Law Enforcement Division
Grow oysters in cages, on- or off-bottom, on permitted state-owned or private water bottoms for commercial harvest	Alternative Oyster Culture Permit Oyster Harvester License Commercial Fisherman License	Permit application fee is $100; permits are granted for a 10-year period. You must be 18 years old and a Louisiana resident (or a corporation organized in Louisiana). You must also have a Coastal Use Permit from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources as well as a Section 10 and/or Section 9 Obstruction to Navigation Permit and Section 404 Fill Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Import live viable oysters, regardless of life stage and ploidy, and intend to place those oysters or their progeny, regardless if they are contained or released, in Louisiana waters	Oyster Importation Permit	No fee. Only oysters from the northern Gulf of America will be considered for permitting. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. A copy of the permit, importation protocol, and Oyster Health Certificate must remain with the oysters during transport events into Louisiana. The permittee must notify LDWF at least 48 hours in advance of each importation event.
Use or posses oyster scrapers (dredges) or tongs	Commercial Gear License for each piece of gear	Each scraper: $50 resident, $400 nonresident Each tong: $50 resident, $400 nonresident

Oysters

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest or sell reef fish (triggerfish, amberjack, wrasse, snapper, grouper, and tilefish) in state or federal waters	NOAA Fisheries-issued Commercial Reef Fish Vessel Permit	Federally-permitted reef fish vessels must carry a VMS onboard. Additional federal regulations apply to the harvest of reef fish. For reef fish fishery management, Louisiana waters extend to 9 nautical miles. Fishermen should stay informed of the state/federal jurisdictional boundary as future congressional actions may affect current boundary demarcation as it applies to reef fish. If a future congressional action modifies the state/federal jurisdictional boundary, it will not impact the type of fishing gear reef fish fishermen may use.

Reef Fish (Triggerfish, Amberjack, Wrasse, Snapper, Grouper, and Tilefish)

If you:	You must have a/an:
Harvest king or Spanish mackerel in federal waters	NOAA Fisheries-issued King or Spanish Mackerel Permit

Mackerel

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest and sell mullet (unless harvesting for live bait)	Mullet Permit	$300 resident, $1200 nonresident; to qualify, you must have had a Saltwater Gill Net License during any two years from 1993 to 1995 and provide state and federal income tax returns (including Schedule C of the federal 1040 form) demonstrating more than 50% of your earned income came from the capture and sale of seafood in at least two years from 1993 to 1995.

Mullet

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest and sell pompano caught with a strike net	Pompano Permit	No fee; application period is from January 1 to April 30 each year

Pompano

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest and sell spotted seatrout	Spotted Seatrout Permit	$150 resident, $600 nonresident; to qualify, you must have had a Saltwater Gill Net License during any two years from 1993 to 1995 and provide state and federal income tax returns (including Schedule C of the federal 1040 form) demonstrating more than 50% of your earned income came from the capture and sale of seafood in at least two years from 1993 to 1995; saltwater guides may not obtain a Spotted Seatrout Permit.

Spotted Seatrout

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest sharks	LDWF-issued Shark Permit	$25
Harvest sharks in federal waters	Federal Shark Permit	See NOAA Fisheries for details.

Sharks

If you:	You must have a/an:
Harvest, possess, or sell swordfish caught in state or federal waters	Federal Commercial Swordfish Permit
Harvest sharks in federal waters	Federal Shark Permit

Swordfish

If you:	You must have a/an:	Fees and notes:
Harvest, possess, or sell Atlantic albacore, bigeye, bluefin, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna caught in state or federal waters	Federal Commercial Tuna Permit	See NOAA Fisheries or call 888.872.8862 for current information.

Tuna

If you:

You must have a/an:

Fees and notes:

Import, export, transport, culture, possess, dispose of, transfer, or sell tilapia in Louisiana

Tilapia Culture Permit

Bond: $25,000; fee: $50. For more information, call 225.765.0765.

TILAPIA RULES AND REGULATIONS

Possess and sell live tilapia in Louisiana

Tilapia Holder Permit

Bond: $10,000; fee: $50. For more information, call 225.765.0765.

TILAPIA RULES AND REGULATIONS

Tilapia

Need Assistance?
Please contact: 225.765.2898 (Wait times may be up to 30 minutes)
Hours of Operation 8:00am-4:00pm CT

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