(1) A Commercial
Fishing License is required by anyone engaging in commercial fishing. A
commercial fisher with a valid Commercial Fishing License must be on board the
vessel while commercial fishing for fish or turtles. Commercial fishers must
have a valid commercial helpers permit for each person on board the vessel that
is aiding or assisting in the act of commercial fishing.
(2) An individual who purchased a Resident
Commercial Roe Fish Permit between March 1, 2006, and March 31, 2006, shall
have priority to renew that permit by March 15 of each license year until
he/she fails to renew such permit. An individual who purchased a Resident
Commercial Roe Fish Permit between March 1, 2014, and November 1, 2014, shall
have priority to renew that permit by March 15 of each license year until
he/she fails to renew such permit. Beginning March 15, 2015, the number of
Resident Commercial Roe Fish Permits were reduced on a year-by-year basis to a
maximum of forty (40). Priority status does not apply to non-resident permits.
Beginning July 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023, a regional Resident
Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, Non-Resident Mississippi
River Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, Resident West/Middle Tennessee Roe Fish
Permit - Supplemental, Non-Resident West/Middle Tennessee Roe Fish Permit
-Supplemental, Resident East Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental and
Non-Resident East Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental will be sold to
replace the existing Resident and Non-Resident Commercial Roe Fish Permit -
Supplemental. Current Resident Commercial Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental(s)
permittees will have priority to purchase one (1), two (2) or all three (3) of
the Regional Resident Roe Fish Permits. If the maximum number of each Regional
Resident Roe Permit - Supplemental is not purchased by September 30, 2023, any
unsold Regional Resident Roe Fish Permit - Supplement will be sold via a
drawing to be held on a single date to be determined by TWRA between October 1,
2023, through October 15, 2023. On October 15, 2023, a priority list for a
Resident Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, Resident West/Middle
Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, Resident East Tennessee Roe Fish
Permit - Supplemental will be established. An individual who purchased a
Resident Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit -Supplemental, Resident West/Middle
Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, Resident East Tennessee Roe Fish
Permit - Supplemental on or before October 15, 2023, shall have priority to
renew that permit by July 31 of each year until he/she fails to renew such
permit. The maximum number of Non-Resident Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit -
Supplemental, Non-Resident West/Middle Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental
and Non-Resident East Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental sold shall be
three (3) in total. Non-Resident Roe Fishers can only purchase one (1) permit
per individual.
Beginning July 31, 2024, the number of regional resident
permittees will be reduced on a year-by-year basis to a maximum of fourteen
(14) for the Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit -Supplemental, twenty-four (24)
for the West/Middle Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental and twelve (12)
for the East Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental when/if the maximum
number of any of the three (3) Regional Resident Roe Fish Permit -
Supplemental(s) is not purchased from July 1 through July 31 of each year. A
commercial fisher with a valid Commercial Fishing License and a valid
Mississippi River Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental, West/Middle Tennessee Roe
Fish Permit - Supplemental and East Tennessee Roe Fish Permit - Supplemental
must be on board the vessel while any part of a paddlefish or bowfin is
harvested from the waters of the state. A wholesale fish dealer must have a
valid Wholesale Fish Dealer's License and a valid Wholesale Roe Fish Permit
-Supplemental to buy, hold, or sell any part of a paddlefish or bowfin.
(3) The maximum number of Resident
Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental(s) issued shall be thirty-five (35) and
the maximum number of Non-Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental(s)
issued shall be three (3). An individual who purchased a Commercial Turtle
Permit between March 1, 2012, and October 15, 2012, shall have priority to
renew that permit by March 15 of each year thereafter until he/she fails to
renew such permit.
Beginning July 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023, a
Resident Commercial Turtle Permit -Supplemental and Non-Resident Commercial
Turtle Permit - Supplemental shall be obtained to replace the existing
Resident/Non-Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental. Current Resident
Turtle Permit - Supplemental permittees shall have priority to obtain the
Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental. If the maximum number of each
Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental is not obtained by September
30, 2023, all remaining Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental(s)
will be issued via a drawing to be held on a single date to be determined by
TWRA between October 1, 2023, through October 15, 2023. On October 15, 2023, a
priority list for Resident Commercial Turtle Permit - Supplemental will be
established. An individual who purchased a Resident Commercial Turtle Permit -
Supplemental on or before October 15, 2023, shall have priority to renew that
permit by July 31 of each year until he/she fails to renew such permit.
Priority status does not apply to non-resident permittee(s). A commercial
fisher with a valid Commercial Fishing License and a Resident Commercial Turtle
Permit - Supplemental must be on board the vessel while any part of a turtle is
harvested from the waters of the state. A wholesale fish dealer must have a
valid Wholesale Fish Dealer's License to buy, hold, or sell any part of a
turtle.
(4) Commercially
harvested paddlefish or parts thereof taken from the waters of the state and
sold in state must be marketed to a licensed wholesale fish dealer who has a
valid Wholesale Roe Fish Permit, Supplemental.
