Freshwater Commercial Fishing

The use of certain fishing gear and/or the selling of nongame gross fish are activities regulated under the authority of commercial fishing regulations.

Non-Game Gross Fish
The category of fishes listed as non-game gross fish are a valuable resource, supplying protein, income and enjoyment. These fish are sometimes referred to as rough fish. They consist of catfishes, buffalo fishes, paddlefish (spoonbill catfish), carp, shad, gar, drum, and several species of minnows. Non-game gross fish can be sold by persons having a commercial fishing license.

Fishing Gear
Non-game gross fish can be harvested using traditional sport fishing gear, but they can also be caught using commercial fishing gear, such as, gill nets, trammel nets, hoop nets, slat boxes, trotlines, and seines. A person must have a commercial fishing license to fish commercial fishing gear. Although a trotline can be fished on a sport license, a commercial license is needed when fishing more than 100 hooks in aggregate or to sell fish.

Download Commercial Fishing Brochure - Link Temporarily disabled - check back soon for updated verion of brochure (anticipated date 6/24)   

PROPOSED Changes to Commercial Fishing Rules

 The Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries & Parks Commission has PROPOSED new rules concerning commercial fishing. The rule change is necessary to have some regulations consistent with recent changes by the legislature in the statutes dealing with commercial fishing. If these new rules are adopted they will not take effect till July. To see a copy of the proposed Rule, click here. The rule changes are -

               1)  The minimum slat width on slat baskets shall be 1 ¼ inches, currently it is 1 ½",

               2) Commercial fishing equipment will be tagged by a water proof tag that
has the fisherman's MDWFP # on the tag. A valid tag can be a water proof tag supplied
by the fisherman with the owner's MDWFP #, or, tags sold by MDWFP in the past
year where the owner had to engrave their MDWFP # on the tag. No other tags
will be valid. Tags will no longer cost $3 each.

               3) Persons with commercial fishing license will be able to fish a shrimp trap.

               4) Waters open to the harvest of paddlefish for roe will be closed to all other commercial fishing activity. MDWFP is currently reviewing the rules on commercial paddlefish harvest, but the waters and the times they were open last year were - Mississippi River, Nov.-Mar.; Coldwater River, Dec.& Feb.; Yazoo River, Dec & Jan,; Sunflower River, Jan. & Feb.

Persons wishing to comment on the proposed rules can do so in writing to the Executive
Director, MDWFP 1505 Eastover Dr., Jackson, MS 39211. Comments must be received
by the next Commission meeting on June 18, 2013.

Paddlefish Fishing:  

Summer tags that allow possession of paddlefish (5 per day) during the months of May to August are now available from the Jackson Office. These tags are made available so that fishers can utilize paddlefish that may not survive capture during the summer when  fishing for buffalo, carp or catfish.  Paddlefish Summer Harvest Information Sheet



Licenses

A commercial fishing license is needed to:

• Sell nongame gross fish and non-native fish
• Fish commercial fishing gear
• Harvest minnows from public waters
• Sell minnows at whole sale
• Harvest common snapping turtles (with special harvest permit from MMNS)
• Raise non-game wildlife in captivity
• Cost: $30 resident, $200 non-resident.,
• Gear tag $3
• Special permits required for paddlefish harvest
• Slat basket license (needed for each box) $30
• Commercial fishing licenses are sold at any MDWFP Regional Office; at any State Park; and the MDWFP Office in Jackson. Commercial fishing licenses can also be purchased by mail.  Places to get a commercial Fishing License
• Application for Commercial Fishing License

Rules & Regulations

• Commercial Fishing Regulations  
• Paddlefish Harvest Regulations (including sale of paddlefish and BOWFIN roe)
• Alligator Gar Information Sheet and Form to Order Tags
• Border States - Rules & regulations
• Turtles, snakes, mussels, others (a Commercial Fishing License is not the proper license for the take of these)

Additional Resources

• Alligator Gar Information Sheet and Form to Order Tags
• Harvest Report  Form and directions
• Asian Carp - Recipes and How to Prepare Asian Carp and distribution options
• Paddlefish Summer Harvest Information Sheet
• Contact for questions or more information  
• Project reports on Mississippi's "commercial fishery"