Anyone with a valid Georgia fishing license, including lifetime and senior license holders, who wants to fish in saltwater after February 28th needs a FREE, annual Saltwater Information Program (SIP) permit. The SIP permit is part of a comprehensive effort by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to collect timely and accurate data from saltwater anglers for use in resource management. Current SIP permits expire on February 28, 2014. New permits are available starting March 1, 2014 and will be valid until the end of February 2015.
“Since Georgia’s fishing license is good for freshwater and saltwater fishing, we needed a tool to identify individuals who saltwater fish in Georgia so they can be included in catch and effort surveys. We need these surveys to be cost-effective, and we want the results to be as accurate and trustworthy as possible given their importance in the management process. Georgia’s saltwater anglers can help by complying with this requirement and by participating in these surveys when contacted,” explained Spud Woodward, director of the Coastal Resources Division.
The SIP permit is patterned after the Hunter Information Program (HIP) permit, which is required of Georgia hunting license holders who hunt migratory birds. These free licenses must all be renewed March 1st or later each year and all expire on the last day of February the following year. SIP permits are available from the same sources as hunting and fishing licenses, and there is no transaction fee for adding the SIP permit to an existing license. During its first year of implementation in 2013, over 224,000 anglers obtained a SIP permit.
Georgia saltwater anglers who have a valid fishing license with a SIP permit and who fish in the Atlantic Ocean beyond 3 miles offshore remain exempt from the federal requirement to have a Saltwater Angler Registry permit.
As of March 1, 2014, the SIP permit will be available from any current license vendor or can be obtained using the Online License System for Georgia DNR or by telephone at 1-800-366-2661 (M-F 8am – 8pm; Sat/Sun 9am – 5pm). For more information, and a tool to find license vendors in your area, visit www.CoastalGaDNR.org/SIP. Anglers who hold a lifetime or senior license must also obtain the paper version of the SIP permit using one of the three methods listed above.
