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Fisheries Home » Law Enforcement

Pacific Islands

Bottom Fishing Permits

To go bottom fishing, please follow the following permitting, bag limit, and general guidance:

  1. Vessels must be properly registered to bottomfish, e.g. with State of Hawaii vessel ID requirements.
  2. Fishing must occur during open season.
  3. For federal waters, all fishermen (not just vessel operator) must have either a federal non-commercial bottomfish permit or a State of Hawaii Commercial Marine License (CML).
  4. If fishermen all have CML, then no bag limit on "Deep 7."
  5. If fishermen have federal permits and/or a mix of federal permits and CMLs, then bag limit applies.
  6. Must report fishing activity.
  7. Certain areas around Main Hawaiian Islands are off limits to bottomfishing, etc.

For more information on bottom fishing, please go to: http://www.hawaiibottomfish.info/pages/2_regulations.html


NOAA Special Agent Chuck Raterman (left) and a U.S. Coast Guard crewmember inspect permits and question mariners who were witnessed in the 100-yard safety zone of a humpback whale in Hawaiian waters.

Shark Fin Regulations

NOAA, as a federal agency enforcing federal laws, advises Hawaii longline fishermen to consider all relevant laws. The federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act prohibits, among other things, removing shark fins at sea. State of Hawaii law makes it unlawful to possess shark fins. For more information on State of Hawaii law, refer to:

Compliance Guides