Beginning August 17, 2020, NOAA Fisheries will require private recreational tilefish vessels, fishing north of the North Carolina/Virginia border, to have a federal recreational tilefish vessel permit and file catch reports. These changes were approved in Amendment 6 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. This action is being taken to better characterize and monitor the recreational fisheries for both blueline tilefish and golden tilefish.
Apply for your federal private recreational tilefish vessel permit through Fish Online. You must apply for this permit using our online system, we are not providing paper applications for this permit. This new permit is required even if a vessel already holds a for-hire tilefish permit.
Private recreational tilefish anglers must also fill out and submit an electronic vessel trip report within 24 hours of returning to port for trips where tilefish were targeted and/or retained. Reports can be submitted through any NOAA Fisheries approved electronic reporting system.
For more information, please see the final rule as published in the Federal Register.
