You must register to fish in marine waters in the state of New Jersey (and everywhere else along the Atlantic Coast, whether by license or registration). This has been a requirement since January of 2010 under federal law (Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006) that requires the federal government to create a national registry of saltwater anglers.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish & Wildlife (Division), as of December 15, New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registrations for 2024 are available on the Division’s licensing webpage at nj.aspirafocus.com/internetsales where all other licenses and permits can be purchased.
Registering to fish in marine waters is still free in New Jersey waters, and when you add your saltwater registration to the online cart, there will be zero cost. According to the Division, migrating the Registry to the licensing system enables ‘one stop shopping’, allowing folks to register along with purchasing your shellfish, crabbing or freshwater fishing licenses/permits. Unlike other state licenses and permits, Saltwater Registrations are only available online.
Remember that saltwater registration certificates will not be mailed and will need to be printed from the licensing page on your home or office computer. Registration certificates can be saved to a computer and/or accessed by logging into your customer profile, where you can reprint as many times as needed.
If you already have a customer profile, you will simply login using your last name and date of birth (DOB) and then click the Saltwater Registry button to ‘purchase’ a free Saltwater Registration (individual or for-hire).
If you are new to the licensing system, you will need to fill out your contact information and then proceed to ‘purchase’ your free Saltwater Registration and/or any other licenses you may need. After signing up, you will be able to access your customer profile by logging in using your last name and DOB. Anyone over the age of 18 will need to provide the online system with their Driver’s License Number or their State Issued ID card number.
If you have questions, contact Marine Fisheries staff by emailing [email protected] or by phone at 609-748-2020. To secure your hunting and fishing license, and/or registration stamps required for 2024 go to nj.aspirafocus.com/internetsales.
To get your Delaware license go to dnrec.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/licenses, while Pennsylvania fishing licenses can be found on the homepage at fishandboat.com.
New York’s saltwater registration is located online at the “easy-to-remember” intuitively named domain address of www.dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/sporting-and-use/sporting/recreational-marine-fishing-registry.
In the case of New York and other unlisted states, you can also find links by Googling a state’s fishing license and registration information. Do it today and get a head start on all of the 2024 action!
