Fishing License

For the last week I have been trying to email the BVI government for fishing permits. I have sent it to the 3 addresses I could find. All come back as "undeliverable". Here are the 3 addresses I have tried:

cfd@gov.vg
cfd@bvigovernment.org
MGlasgow@gov.vg

Anyone have a different e-mail I should try? I have used these e-mail addresses in the past with no problem.

Thanks for any information you might have.

CFD@gov.vg is the one I always used. How much extra money do you think the government would make if they added a line to the cruising permit?
Fishing. YES/No. $50.00

I tried that one, here is the message I'm receiving:

Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:

cfd@gov.vg (cfd@gov.vg)
The server has tried to deliver this message, without success, and has stopped trying. Please try sending this message again. If the problem continues, contact your helpdesk.

According to this:

http://www.bvi.gov.vg/services/acquiring-temporary-pleasure-fishing-licence

you have it right.

Let us know how you get on as I need to get several licenses here in the next month for our May trip...

THIS.

We go through this BS every trip down there. WHY do they have to make it such a PITA?

It’s the ilons mon, the strategies are different.
Ask your charter company to help you.
But whatever you do don’t fish without it..

The whole boat and personal fishing license fiasco is a BVI thing not a ilons thing. Nobody else has this level of BS to drag a line behind a charterboat, Most islands make it virtually painless.
G

Actually it’s the island mentality whether for fishing or any other thing that has to be thought out

i would try bviwatertoys.com They can have your gear on the boat, and I'm sure they can help with your fishing license.

I'm renting some fishing gear from Last Stop, I can usually get the license on my own without an issue, this is the first year I haven't been able to get through. They charge $20 per license to obtain for you, I'm getting 5 license, so I was trying to save $100.

Let us know if you get through. I need to get a few licenses for our April trip. Thanks

We never rent gear - we just bring handlines and fly rods. They fit nicely in the backpack.

Have used Last Stop before, but yeah, $20 is a bit steep.

We usually just use hand lines but the guys wanted to try a pole this year, so we rented one

I sent it again this morning, and the good news is, it didn't bounce back. At least not yet.

\

I spoke too soon, it has come back as undeliverable

That's funny.

Today I made a phone call and found out they changed the email address to fisheries@gov.vg

I just sent an email to that address, crossing my fingers that one works.

Thanks for the update. I'm filling out my applications now and will use that email address.

When will you be down? We will be there from March 29th-April 14th.

Just a week this time--April 6-13. On "Serengeti," a Lagoon 450 from TMM. If you have any luck fishing, post an update (if you can). Thanks! Eric

Maybe we will cross paths, we will be a a Lagoon 450F named "Stella". We should have wifi, so I will try to post if we catch anything.

How many lines do you drag and what lures do you have success with? Besides bonito, are you catching any good food fish?

I usually drag 6-7 lines (1 pole + 6 handlines) with various colored tuna feathers and skirted lures, plus 2 daisy chains and occasionally a spreader bar. Upcoming trip I'm bringing two 2 lb trolling leads and some wire rigged wahoo lures.

In addition to lots of bonito, we usually manage to catch a mahi mahi or kingfish each trip that's big enough for dinner and lunch for 8. As that point we put the lines away.

I know they have used rigged ballyhoo's, but I don't know much about their lures. They have caught some bonito's, Spanish mackerels and barracuda. Nothing good to eat. Well, I guess they did catch one small Tuna, that was a while ago. We did hook into 2 Mahi one day, but they both spit the hook before they got them on the boat.

I think these guys are fishermen, not catchermen.....LOL

BaardJ / Orange_Burst: Where did you catch those fish, in the Drake Channel or off the South Drop? We've dragged before in the channel and caught a Bonito but tha't about it. We usually bottom fish while at anchor which is fun for the kids.

Bonito you can catch just about anywhere. My best catch in the Drake was a blackfin tuna off Beef Island that I seared with a sesame crust. Most recent catches include a 38" king mackeral about 5 miles north of Jost (not surprisingly near Kingfish Bank). Got a double mahi hookup headed north to Anegada - about 3 miles north of VG. Got a mahi 2 miles south of Ram Head, St John (about 1.5 miles north of the dropoff). Got another mahi within a half mile of Savana Island (west end of St Thomas) on a flat calm day just after a rain squall passed through. Mahi's were all about 40".

For everyone of these eating fish there have been a least a dozen bonito and 2-3 barracuda. With all the sargasso the past few years I spend a lot of time cleaning the hooks every 5-10 minutes which quickly gets old. I don't go out of my way to fish, but I prefer to do alot of sailing so most anytime I'm outside the Drake I drag lines.

I'm bringing 2 trolling leads and also a No. 6 planar in 2 weeks to get 3 lines below the sargasso and hopefully get a tuna or wahoo.

Not in the the BVIs, but a few yars ago I caught a ~50 lb sailfish midways between Anguilla and VG that we released.

Best catch ever was during a sail from Annapolis to St Thomas. The first morning in the Gulf Stream we had a simultaneous triple hookup of 25~30 lb yellowfin tuna that we landed, and ate sushi and seared tuna every day for the next week.

Will be needing license in May, looking forward to hearing how your email was...if it was...received.

I know that a couple yearsago the BVI required that charter boats have to be registered for fishing before they issue licenses for anyone on board. How is that working and how does it work for visiting private boats?

Eric, enjoy Serengeti. She’s a great boat. As I’m sure TMM told you, she is a registered fishing vessel. My wife and I are trying to arrange a last minute trip to take her out for a week starting on the 14th right after you bring her back in.

Thanks. We're looking forward to our week on Serengeti. I chartered a Lagoon 450 in the Spanish Virgins a few years back and really enjoyed it.

We'll take good care of Serengeti. Hopefully, we'll cross paths at TMM.

I haven't had an issue with getting the number from the charter company. I think it's been 3 years now? I send them an email and those always come right back with the fishing registration number.

Well, that didn't work either. She also said that their server wasn't excepting mail from certain servers, like a google server.

I'm starting to think its my server here at work. I'm going to try to send it from my home e-mail this weekend. This is so frustrating!

I guess we now know why Last Stop charges $20 per license...I need some for an April trip.

Colleen, was your email rejected again? Any luck with the home email? I sent applications to the new email address last Wednesday. The email didn't get bounced back but no response yet.

I just sent it from my home address this morning. I will let you know if I hear anything from them. It hasn't bounced back yet.

FYI.... I tried to get a fishing license through Island Surf and Sail (BVI Water toys) and got the reply from them below,

“BVI Government Fisheries changed the application process for the fishing permit applications. We no longer offer that service. Please email fisheries @gov.vg for instructions and application form.

The fishing permit application process have changed
Apply online to email fisheries@gov.vg (application form and passport)
BVI Fisheries process permit
BVI Fisheries email a permit number to applicant
Applicant enters the BVI and passport is stamped by Immigration
Applicant emails photo of Immigration entry stamp to fisheries@gov.vg
BVI Fisheries email applicant the fishing permit”

I am now attempting to obtain a license as stated above. Hope it works............

You have got to be frigging kidding me! I usually arrive at the boat at 6 pm and am off the dock at 9 am. How will it work?
G

Brilliant governmental decision. I suspect many charterers will decide to forgo the license and take their chances. I would not advise that course of action, however the new process is clumsy and not conducive to compliance.

KF Quinn MD

This is insane! Almost like they are setting you up to not comply. I have sent all of my information to the fisheries@gov.vg through my home e-mail. It has not been returned, so I'm guessing they are received it, but I have not heard anything back yet.

They now have the our names and the name of the boat we plan on fishing from, if we don't comply, they will probably be looking for us!

All this rigmarole just to legally pull up a few bonito and tons of sargasso!!! Culebra and south drop off St John here I come.

So, any luck with the license?

Nothing yet, I'm going to call again tomorrow. We are sailing out of Navigar witch is at Village Cay, so I guess if the guys have to walk over to the government building on Monday, our sleepabord night, that is what they will have to do.

Colleen,

Did you use the fishing license application and credit card authorization forms from the bvi.gov.vg website and send both of them to the fisheries.gov.vg email address? I am asking this question because the credit card authorization form says to email the completed form to CFD@GOV.VG. We will be there in two weeks and I am running out of time. I just want to be sure I am doing it the right way.


Thanks,
Bill

I was told the CFD email is no longer in use. Send everything to the new email fisheries@gov.vg

I sent mine out from my home email this past Sunday, but I have not heard back. I do plan on calling them tomorrow, unless I get a reply before that time.

I reached out to Sail Caribbean Divers who said that they could obtain the temporary 30 day license. I specifically inquired about the requirement for the immigration stamp. Their response is below but it seems that for the temporary license you don't need the immigration stamp.

----------------------------------------------

"They only require this if you request the actual permit. For me to process them I receive a permit number which allows you to fish.
Any further action would be directly from the fisheries department and then they require your proof of entry."

Regards,

Kina
Sail Caribbean Divers
(284) 541 3483

Thanks TC42 for the info. It’s good to know that we can fish once we get the permit number. The bigger issue is the lack of response from the Fisheries Department. Orange_Burst (Colleen) emailed thiers on the 13th of March to the new email address and I emailed my three applications on the 19th of March with no response. I emailed TMM who we are chartering with and asked if they knew any reason for the delay and their response was;
“The BVI recently had a new Prime Minister elected and there is a lag in filling Government positions, including someone in the new Government to oversee the Fisheries Department, and hence, sign off on fishing licenses”.

I’m still hoping to get my permits by the start of our charter on the 6th of April. I will be calling them in the morning........

Bill

Bill--we're also starting 4/6 from TMM. Call Sandra at the base. She called Fisheries for us late last week and spoke with someone who told her we will get our permit number this week sometime. You might get the same response by calling direct but, if not, Sandra is a great resource.
Eric

Thanks Eric! I will call Sandra if I can’t get a response at the Fisheries. We are on the boat Finish Line and we are doing a sleep aboard Friday night. Where do you get your bait? A couple of years ago I got frozen squid and ballyhoo at Richardson Rigging that is just up the road from the Pub not far from TMM.

Bill

We used frozen ballyhoo from Richardson Rigging a few years back but didn't catch anything. So we're using lures only now.

We're on Serengeti--no sleep aboard. Stop by and say hello if you get a chance.

A ballyhoo with a plastic squid hood is my go to trolling bait at 5 KTS.
A yellow feather with a big red eye is my most effective lure over the years here.
Of course I have caught more barracuda than I care to count.

Just rec'd an email from Fisheries with the approved permit numbers.

That is encouraging, I will wait another day, if I don't have mine, I will give them a call.

Today I called the Fisheries Department and after being transferred to three different people I ended up with a wonderful women named Abby. I explained to her that I had sent 3 separate emails for 3 different fishing permits a week ago with no response. She searched through her past emails and could not see any of my emails. After searching for 10 minutes she realized that she had received my 3 requests. Abby spent another 10 minutes reviewing each application, signatures, passport photos, credit card authorizations, vessel name and registration number. She then sent me a email to confirm that there was not any problems with their email on their end. At the end of our conversation she told me that I would receive our fishing permit numbers within the next 24 hours. Abby was EXTREMELY helpful and a pleasure to speak with. I highly suggest that anyone trying to get a fishing permit to contact Abby at 1 (284) 468-2700.

Bill

Soooo, it sounds like any of the original email addresses still work?

No, the new correct email address for fishing permits is;

fisheries@gov.vg

Bill

Thanks for the update. Got to submit our forms here in a couple weeks...

So has anybody actually gotten the license with either email address?

KFQ

Yes we received ours one week before our trip. We just finished our trip and we caught several barracudas, king fish and small tunas on ballyhoo.

We also got ours about a week before our trip, and we caught what Bill caught but we were dragging lures.

We didn't get the actual license, but they gave me numbers, if we were stopped, I just needed to give them those numbers.