REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL FISHING

In Panama the international fishing licenses are established through Executive Decree No. 19 of November 13, 1997. "whereby it is established and regulated the international fishing license for vessels of international services and other measures are taken".

In Article III of this Executive Decree is established that in order to have a fishing license approved the following requirements must be fulfilled:

1. It should be corroborated the name of the company and the shipowner's , nationality and domicile.
   
2. Certificate of tonnage, and other documents of the vessel, providing its characteristics and specifications.
3. Notify the marine species that will be captured and the area coordinates where the work will be carried out.
4. Notify the methods and art of fishing to be used by the vessel in its fishing activities and /or its characteristics of storage and processing.
5. To designate the ports and areas where the vessels will perform their operations of unloading and transshipment of their catches.

Other documentation that will be required from the legal representative to obtain an international fishing license:

1. Certificate of Proof of Operation of the Monitoring Satellite Buoy. A confirmation is required, since previously, the license was issued upon submitting a copy of the contract with C.L.S. company and after receiving the license they did not follow up with the process neither with the installation of the equipment.
2. To submit the statistical information on effort and capture of the vessel to renew the license. This is necessary to comply with the provisions established on the international agreements on marine species (this issue is noted in the original international license that is given to the legal representatives).
3. It is required that shipowners send us a picture of the vessels showing its name for our records.

Besides what is contained in a circular from the General Directorate of Marine and Coastal Resources delivered to legal representatives and handed any time information on international licenses is required, the general objections to reject an application for an international fishing license are the following:

1. To apply for a license to fish shrimp in jurisdictional waters of third countries, with the exception of cold climates where there are no turtles (due to the impossibility of supervising the use of the Turtle Excluding Device.)
2. To apply for a codfish fishing license in the North Atlantic. With the exception of vessels that obtain the fishing permit in Z.E.E. of a third country that allows and has a quota for fishing this specie.
   
3. To apply for a salmon fishing license in the North Atlantic. With the exception of vessels that obtain the fishing permit in Z.E.E. of a third country that allows and has a quota for fishing this specie.
   
4. The vessels that their license have been previously canceled, for not complying with the international fishing regulations.
   
5. To the vessels that apply for a tuna fish fishing license for the first time in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. With the exception of the vessels that have obtained previous consent, (this will be consent prior to 1977) until an agreement is reached with the I.C.C.A.T.
   
6. In case that the application does not contain all the required information.

The International Fishing license will be valid for a year, and should be renovated before the expiring of the same.
The same will have the following rights:

1. Vessels up to 2000 gross registry of tonnage, the amount of three thousand dollars ($ 3000.00).
   
2. Vessels larger than 2000 gross registry of tonnage, the amount of five thousand dollars ($5000.00)

*** The obtaining of the Fishing License for vessels of International Service and the payment of the corresponding rights will be a previous requirement to the application of registry of the same in the Directorate General of Merchant Marine of the Panama Maritime Authority.

Besides the above mentioned, the application is analyzed depending on the area (Ocean) the license has been requested for, the species that will be captured and the art of fishing that will be utilized.