Fishing Licenses
Licenses are permits that a person shall obtain prior to engaging in a fishing activity or a fishing-related activity.
The License and Permit Section, part of the Monitoring Control and Surveillance Department, is responsible for issuing authorisations, licenses, and permits. The team comprises an Assistant Manager, Senior License Officers, and License Officers who process and issue all relevant documentation.
The table outlines the approval structure for issuing fishing licenses and permits. Depending on the type of fishery, authorisation may be granted at different levels of the hierarchy, from the License and Permit Officer up to the CEO.
- Class 1–3 vessels and most artisanal fisheries (net, lobster, spanner crab, octopus, and sea cucumber fishing) can be approved by the License and Permit Assistant Manager, but may also be escalated to the CEO if required.
- Class 3–4 vessels (tuna and tuna-like species), sea cucumber processing, and industrial fishing require higher-level approval (Deputy CEO or CEO) due to their greater commercial scale and risks.
- Certificates of Authorisation may also be approved by the License and Permit Assistant Manager, but may also be escalated up to the CEO if required.
This system balances efficiency for routine cases with stronger executive oversight for high-value or sensitive fisheries.
The table below shows the authorisation levels:
Type of fishing license | Assistant Manager License and Permit | MCS Manager | MCS Head of Department | Deputy CEO | CEO |
Class 1–3 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Class 4 (Tuna and Tuna Like Species) | – | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
Net | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Lobster | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Spanner Crab | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Octopus | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Sea Cumber Fishing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Sea Cumber Processing | – | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
Industrial Fishing | – | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
Certificate of Authorization | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
All licenses and authorisations are processed and issued by the License and Permit Officers.
For inquiries, please contact us at license@sfa.sc.