Beginning next month, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will offer new or renewal commercial fishing licenses and boat registration transactions at field offices. Additionally, trip ticket staff will be present to train new or existing seafood dealers on the process of filling out trip tickets, to answer questions regarding trip tickets, and to take trip ticket orders (trip tickets will not be distributed on site). LDWF offers this service as a convenience to our commercial fishermen who need a commercial licenses and in-person assistance without having to drive to Baton Rouge.

Staff will be available at the following dates and locations:

New Orleans Office
2045 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 438
New Orleans, LA
April 16 – 18
8 am – 3:30 pm

Bourg Office
468 Texas Gulf Rd.
Bourg, LA
April 23 – 25
8 am – 3:30 pm

Lake Charles Office
1025 Tom Watson Rd.
Lake Charles, LA
April 29 & 30
9 am – 3:30 pm

Lafayette Office
200 Dulles Drive
Lafayette, LA
May 1 & 2
9 am – 3:30 pm

Commercial License Sales:

Acceptable forms of payment will include personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, and cash. Customers purchasing licenses are asked to bring their license renewal notices to avoid processing delays.

First-time applicants can apply by mail or in person. When applying in person, you must provide the following:

• Resident applicants must provide proof of residency such as a Louisiana driver’s license (held continuously for 12 months), voter’s registration, vehicle registration, and state income tax.
• Non-resident applicants must provide proof of residency from their domiciliary state, such as a driver’s license, voter’s registration, vehicle registration, and state income tax.
• Applicants applying for a license in a business name must provide documentation showing proof of valid federal tax ID# assigned to the business name and proof of authorized signature, or an occupational license will be required.

For commercial license inquiries, contact (225) 765-2898.

Trip Tickets:

The Trip Ticket program requires wholesale/retail seafood dealers and wholesale/retail reptile and amphibian dealers to purchase or accept transfers of catch from commercial fishermen or reptile/amphibian collectors to submit trip tickets to LDWF. Trip tickets capture information about the catch – what it is, where it was caught, how it was caught, and how much was caught. Fresh product license holders (commercial fishermen licensed to sell their catch directly to consumers) must also submit trip tickets.

The trip ticket information is confidential and protected under state and federal law. LDWF uses this information to improve assessments of fish populations and inform management.

More information about the Trip Ticket program, including how-to videos, is available on the LDWF website at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/trip-tickets.

For trip ticket inquiries, please call (225) 765-2449 or email [email protected].