NOAA Fisheries is clarifying how vessel permits can be used with leased boats in the Southeast region after receiving repeated questions from permit holders about the process.

The guidance, issued by the agency’s Southeast Regional Permits Office in a news release, explains that federal regulations do not allow fishing permits themselves to be leased. However, permits may be assigned to a vessel that is leased by the permit holder if certain requirements are met.

According to the release, the clarification applies to permit holders requesting or holding a vessel permit in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone or fishing under a Wreckfish permit. It does not apply to vessels operating under the Colombian Treaty Water or High Seas Fishing Permit.

According to NOAA Fisheries, a permit holder who does not own a vessel may lease one from a vessel owner and transfer their permit to that leased vessel. To do so, the permit holder must submit a vessel lease agreement as part of the permit transfer application.

Both open access and limited access permits can be issued to leased vessels as long as the required documentation is provided.

Per the release, the lease agreement must include several pieces of information: the vessel’s name, the vessel’s U.S. Coast Guard documentation number or state registration number, the name of the vessel owner or lessor, the name of the permit holder or lessee, the specific lease start date, the specific lease end date and the signatures of both the lessor and lessee.

NOAA Fisheries does not provide a standardized lease agreement form. However, the agency will accept state-specific lease agreements if they contain all of the required information. The Southeast Regional Permits Office also does not require lease agreements to be notarized, although some states may mandate notarization under their own regulations.

Permit holders must upload the lease agreement when applying through the Southeast Region Online Permit System. The document should be submitted on the Required Documents page as part of the online permit application the release said.

The agency also notes that responsibility for fisheries violations can extend beyond the person operating the vessel. Depending on the circumstances, the vessel owner, vessel operator and the permit holder leasing the vessel may all be held accountable for violations that occur while the vessel is fishing under the lessee’s permits.

NOAA Fisheries also reminds permit holders that catch history is considered proprietary business information by the federal government. If catch history is requested for a vessel that was leased, the permit holder who held the permit during the requested time period must provide a signature authorizing the release of that information.

More information is available in the “Leases” section of the Southeast Fishing Permits Frequently Asked Questions page. Permit holders can also contact the Southeast Permits Office customer service line at (877) 376-4877 or email nmfs.ser.permitssupport@noaa.gov for assistance.