NOTE: The Hook and Line Fishing License is included in the Resident and Native Saltwater fishing licenses.

Crab

If you’re harvesting crabs recreationally with crab nets or crab lines, you must have:

• Either a Hook and Line Fishing License or a Basic Fishing License if above the freshwater/saltwater line
• Either a Hook and Line Fishing License or both Basic and Saltwater Fishing Licenses if below the freshwater/saltwater line.

If you’re harvesting crabs recreationally with crab traps, you must have:

• A Basic Fishing License if above the freshwater/saltwater line
• Both Basic and Saltwater Fishing Licenses if below the freshwater/saltwater line.

The Basic and Saltwater Fishing Licenses allow no more than 10 recreational crab traps per licensed individual.

Combination (e.g. Senior Hunting/Fishing and Louisiana Sportsman's Paradise Licenses) and some special licenses (e.g. Lifetime Licenses) also include recreational crabbing privileges. 

You must also have a WMA Access Permit to harvest crab recreationally on an LDWF WMA or refuge.

Oyster

To harvest oysters recreationally, you must have:

• A Basic Fishing License
• A Saltwater License

Combination (e.g. Senior Hunting/Fishing and Louisiana Sportsman's Paradise Licenses) and some special licenses (e.g. Lifetime Licenses) also include recreational oyster harvesting privileges. 

Shrimp

If you’re harvesting shrimp recreationally with a cast net, you need:

• A Basic Fishing License
• A Saltwater Fishing License (if fishing in the saltwater areas of the state). 

If you’re harvesting shrimp recreationally with a trawl, you need:

• A Basic Fishing License
• A Saltwater Fishing License (if fishing in the saltwater areas of the state). 

If you’re harvesting shrimp recreationally with a dip net, landing net, crab net, or minnow trap, you need:

• A Hook and Line License.

Combination (e.g. Senior Hunting/Fishing and Louisiana Sportsman's Paradise Licenses) and some special licenses (e.g. Lifetime Licenses) also include recreational shrimping privileges. 

If you’re harvesting shrimp recreationally in federal waters of the Gulf of America, you must have a Federal Shrimp Vessel Permit from NOAA Fisheries. Contact NOAA Fisheries at 877.376.4877 for more information. Additional federal regulations apply.