Section 1660-01-30-.01 - LICENSES AND PERMITS(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.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1660-01-30-.01
Original rules filed July 14, 2017; effective October 12, 2017. Amendments filed March 15, 2023; effective 6/13/2023.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 70-1-206 and 70-2-301.