* Bait Species
The following species listed here, to the exclusion of all other species, may be taken commercially in the inland district under an inland commercial bait license, or in the marine district under a
marine commercial bait license. These species may also be offered for sale as bait species under a bait dealers license: Golden shiner or "pond shiner", common shiner, fallfish, creek chub, spottail
shiner or "river bait", bridle shiner, blacknose dace, longnose dace, pearl dace, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow, cutlips minnow, chub sucker, banded killifish, mummichug, striped killifish,
tidewater silverside, Atlantic silverside, sand lance or "sand eels", bay anchovy, sheepshead minnow, mullet species, frogs (except northern leopard frogs), perch bugs, helgramites, mayfly nymphs,
other aquatic insects, crayfish, green crabs, fiddler crabs, hermit crabs, Asian (Japanese) shore crab, and shrimp (families Crangonidae, Palaemonidae and Penaeidae).
In addition to the bait species listed above, the following species, if legally taken under the appropriate commercial license and meeting the minimum legal length requirements specified in this
information circular, may be offered for sale as bait under a bait dealer's license: menhaden, American eel, butterfish, Atlantic mackerel, whiting, squid, Atlantic herring, hickory shad, and horseshoe
crab.
Other Licenses
Environmental Tourism Vessel Permit $100.00 - Authorizes: Use of a vessel for a
fee for purposes of education and observation, and retention of regulated marine
and estuarine resources. Holders of a scientific collector's permit issued to
accredited persons and institutions are not required to obtain the environmental
tourism cruise vessel permit.
Hunting and Fishing Guide Registration $100.00 - Authorizes the registrant to:
Conduct hunting or fishing guide services (aiding, assisting or instructing any
person in the taking of fish or wildlife while in the fields, forests or on all waters of
the state in exchange for any form of remuneration). When using a vessel to take or
land marine species, only two customers are permitted on the vessel. Compare to
Party or Charter Fishing Vessel Registration.
Vessel Registration Application
Commercial Fishing Vessel Permit $100.00 - Authorizes: Use of a vessel for
activities authorized under the following licenses: Principal Commercial Fishing,
General Commercial Fishing (Finfish license), Commercial Lobster Pot Fishing,
Commercial Landing, Commercial Horseshoe Crab Fishing, or Commercial Pound
Net Fishing. During commercial fishing, a holder of the relevant Connecticut
commercial fishing license listed above must be present, except that an
unlicensed fisherman may operate a pound net with the permission of the pound
net registrant.
Party or Charter Fishing Vessel Registration $315.00 - Authorizes the registered
vessel to: Operate as a party/charter boat or for-hire recreational vessel to take
marine species in Connecticut waters or land marine species at Connecticut ports,
regardless of where those species are taken (e.g. tidal waters of the inland district).
A separate Party & Charter Fishing Vessel Registration is required for each vessel
operated for this purpose. Operators carrying two or fewer customers may choose
the Hunting or Fishing Guide Service Registration instead of the Party / Charter
Vessel Registration. Compare to Hunting and Fishing Guide Registration.
Dealer License Application
Seafood Dealer License $250.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Purchase, ship,
consign, transfer, transport, barter, accept or pack any DEEP regulated species,
except bait species, received directly from a commercial fisherman. DEEP
regulated species are: lobsters, crabs, horseshoe crabs, squid, sea scallops, finfish
and whelk.
Bait Dealer License $63.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Possess for the purpose of
sale, to sell or to offer for sale any bait species*.
Personal Use Fishing License Application
Personal Use Lobster Fishing License $60.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Use not
more than ten lobster pots or traps, hand harvest, skin-dive or SCUBA dive to take
and land lobsters for personal use (not for sale). Personal Use license holders may
not set, haul or have in the water more than ten pots per day.
Personal Use Gill Net Fishing License (for menhaden only) $100.00 - Authorizes
the licensee to: Use a single personally attended gill net not more than 60 feet in
length to take and land menhaden (bunker) for personal use, from marine waters
only.
Limited Access Commercial Fishing License Application
These licenses are limited access and only fishermen who have held a license in the
past can renew it now. Limited access commercial licenses and endorsements must
be renewed annually by March 31. Species and gear restrictions apply.
Principal Commercial Fishing License $285.00 for residents, $1,500.00 for non-
residents - Authorizes the licensee to: Engage in Commercial Lobster Pot Fishing
and Otter Trawl Fishing to take and land lobsters, crabs (excluding blue crabs),
horseshoe crabs, sea scallops, squid, finfish (except for American shad or bait
species) and whelk (see Whelk Fishing License) for personal use or for sale. A
Commercial Fishing Vessel Permit is required.
Commercial Lobster Pot Fishing License $190.00 for residents, $285.00 for non-
residents - Engage in Commercial Lobster Pot Fishing to take and land lobsters,
crabs (excluding blue crabs), horseshoe crabs, sea scallops, squid, finfish (except for
American shad or bait species) and whelk (See Whelk Fishing License) for personal
use or for sale. Either the Principal Commercial Fishing License or the Commercial
Lobster Pot Fishing License can be held; both are not required. A Commercial
Fishing Vessel Permit is required.
General Commercial Fishing (Finfish) License, Creel Limited (exceeding sport
fishery creel limits when using hooks is prohibited) $190.00 for residents, $250.00 for
non-residents - Authorizes the licensee to: Use gill nets, seines, traps, fish pots, cast
nets, fykes, scoop nets, eel pots or similar devices to take and land finfish (except
for American shad or bait species), for commercial purposes or for sale, in inland or
marine waters in which the use of such gear is permitted; also, to use hook and line
for commercial purposes in the marine district only (commercial angling is
prohibited in the inland district) and to take horseshoe crabs by hand with a
Horseshoe Crab Hand Harvest Endorsement. A Commercial Fishing Vessel Permit is
required.
General Commercial Fishing (Finfish) License, Non-Creel Limited (exceeding
sport fishery creel limits when using hooks is allowed) $375.00 for residents, $625.00
for non-residents - Authorizes the licensee to: Use gill nets, seines, traps, fish pots,
cast nets, fykes, scoop nets, eel pots or similar devices to take and land finfish
(except for American shad or bait species), for commercial purposes or for sale, in
inland or marine waters in which the use of such gear is permitted; also, to use
hook and line for commercial purposes in the marine district only (commercial
angling is prohibited in the inland district) and to take horseshoe crabs by hand
with a Horseshoe Crab Hand Harvest Endorsement. A Commercial Fishing Vessel
Permit is required.
Commercial Horseshoe Crab Fishing License $190.00 for residents, $250.00 for
non-residents - Hand harvest and land horseshoe crabs only for personal use or for
sale. Horseshoe Crab Hand Harvest Endorsement required.
Quota-Managed Species Endorsement $15.00 for each species endorsed -
Authorizes the licensee to: Possess and land state quota-managed species taken
for commercial purposes. State quota managed species include black sea bass,
scup, summer flounder and horseshoe crabs (horseshoe crab endorsement is
required for hand-harvest only).
Open Access Commercial Fishing License Application
These licenses are open access and anyone can buy one. Species and gear
restrictions apply.
Commercial Shad Fishing License $200.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Use gill
nets, seines, dip or scoop nets in the main body of the Connecticut River south of
the Putnam Bridge in Glastonbury/Wethersfield to take or land American shad.
Inland Commercial Bait Fishing License $100.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Use
seines, traps, dip nets, scoop nets, weirs or similar devices in the inland district to
take and land bait species*. Use of gill nets or trawl nets is prohibited.
Marine Commercial Bait Fishing License $100.00 - Authorizes the licensee to:
Use seines, traps, dip nets, scoop nets, weirs or similar devices in the marine waters
to take and land bait species*. Use of gill nets or trawl nets is prohibited.
Commercial Blue Crab Fishing License $150.00 - Authorizes the Licensee to: Use
scoop or dip nets, hand lines or manually operated and personally attended
devices described below to take and land blue crabs for commercial purposes.
Commercial Landing Vessel Operator's License $500.00 - Authorizes the
licensee to: Operate a vessel used to Land finfish, lobsters, squid, crabs including
horseshoe crabs, whelk, and sea scallops for personal use or for sale, taken in
commercial fishing conducted exclusively outside of Connecticut state waters.
Fishing in Connecticut waters is prohibited. A Commercial Fishing Vessel Permit is
required.
(NEW LICENSE) Restricted Commercial Fishing License $125.00 for residents,
$250.00 for non-residents - Authorizes the licensee to: Engage in commercial
fishing using hook and line to take and land squid and finfish (except for American
shad or bait species), in the marine district only (commercial angling is prohibited
in the inland district) and to take menhaden only by use of a gill net not more than
200 feet in length provided the net is manually set and retrieved and personally
attended when in use.
(NEW LICENSE) Restricted Commercial Lobster Pot Fishing License $125.00 for
residents, $250.00 for non-residents - Authorizes the licensee to: Use NOT MORE
THAN 50 lobster pots or traps to take and land lobsters, crabs (excluding blue
crabs) and finfish (except for American shad or bait species) for personal use or for
sale. LIMITED ACCESS LOBSTER POT ALLOCATION REQUIRED.
Whelk Fishing License $100.00 - Authorizes the licensee to: Possess and land
more than one-half bushel of whelk (conch) species for personal use or for sale. No
license is required to take up to one-half bushel of whelk daily for personal use or
for sale.
