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A. They can be bought either online or over the phone through the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
The phone number is 1-866-721-6911 (available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except holidays). Or you
can buy a license online at Recreational Fishing License. Licenses also are sold at hundreds of locations across the Commonwealth. The one closest to you can be found by clicking here.
A. Yes, unless you meet the requirements spelled out in the Code of Virginia for an exemption from having to purchase a recreational saltwater fishing license.
Those exemptions include:
A. No, you don’t. We have a wide variety of short-term and lifetime fishing licenses available for purchase. For a complete list of all recreational saltwater licensing visit us online at Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Licenses.
A. This license is for finfish only. Sizes, seasons, and creel limits on the species regulated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission can be found here.
A. Our Saltwater Angler's Guide contains extensive information on how to fish, where to fish, and best conservation practices. The guide also lists many of the public boat ramps and piers, and shows where the Virginia Marine Resource Commission’s artificial reefs are located. The Angler's Guide can be found here.
A. You don’t need a license to crab recreationally in Virginia’s saltwaters as long as you don’t use commercial fishing gear. Hand-netting, dip-netting or chicken-necking for crabs is permitted as long as you don’t take more than one bushel of hard crabs or two dozen peeler crabs in a day. Also, you can set up to two crab pots per person recreationally without a license. They must be properly buoyed and marked with an “R” for recreational and some way to identify they are your property. Annual recreational crabbing licenses are available for $36, allowing you to set up to five crab pots. Crab size, season and our Blue Crab Sanctuary provisions apply to everyone who crabs in Virginia waters. Those regulations can be found here. What you catch recreationally must be for personal use only. Any sale would make your crabbing activity a commercial fishing operation and subject to commercial crabbing regulations, including possession of a commercial fishing license.
A. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission holds almost all the saltwater bottom lands in public trust on behalf of all citizens of the Commonwealth. If you would like to use or disturb those water bottoms, such as to build a pier or dock, or to dredge a channel or install a mooring buoy, you’ll need to fill out a Joint Permit Application and send it to us. We will act as a clearinghouse and send a copy to the other local, state or federal agencies that have applicable regulatory authority.
The application, and instructions on filling it out, can be found here. If you have a question about the permitting process in a specific area of the state, you can click here to see the territory assignment for our Habitat Engineers. They can answer your questions.
A. It depends. Our eight Habitat Engineers process a staggering 3,000 (and growing) applications a year. We try to process simple projects within 45-60 days. More complicated projects can take 60-90 days. Some unusually complex projects can take longer. Please keep in mind that seemingly simple projects can be complicated by navigation issues, property line boundaries, neighbor objections, existing oyster grounds and the need to preserved underwater grasses that are crucial habitat for many marine creatures. We can help with those issues.
A. To report emergencies, boating accidents and fishing violations, please call the Virginia Marine Police Dispatch Center toll free at 800-541-4646.
A.The monthly VMRC Commission Meeting is held at 9:30 AM on the fourth Tuesday of every month. The meeting is open to the public and held in the main meeting room at the agency's headquarters, located at 380 Fenwick Rd. Fort Monroe. Directions can be found here. Meetings are also streamed live here. The VMRC does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations due to a disability, please contact Michele Guilford, Commissioner's Assistant, at (757) 247-2206; Michele.Guilford@mrc.virginia.gov at least five work days prior to the meeting date and identify your needs.
A. To report a stranded marine animal, please call the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response team toll free at 757-385-7575.
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