It is legal to fish in the U.S. Virgin Islands without a permit. Spear fishing is not allowed in National Park areas.
Non-residents must have a BVI Fishing License to fish; children under 18 do not need a license. Fishing is not allowed in designated protected areas. A permit is available for charterers who intend to fish while in the BVI. The cost is $65, including handling by a local company – https://www.laststopsports.com/Fishing_License.htm
They e-mail you a copy of the license to bring with you.
Although the Virgins are known for some world class sport fishing, the fishing grounds are offshore and only accessed by local sport fishing boats which can be chartered. Fishing on your yacht will be limited to trolling underway or bottom fishing while at anchor.
La Grande Bellezza yachts carry a rods for trolling as well as for light fishing tackle for casting a line overboard when at anchor. Captain Andres is an avid fishermen.
Captain Andres will advise you. Typically, the fish that you catch while trolling such as tuna can be transformed into sushi right before your eyes. However, many of the reef fish in the Virgins are infected with ciguetera which is a neurological toxin and is not safe for human consumption so catch and release is encouraged.
No, the use of SCUBA equipment to capture or remove any marine animal or coral is against the law. Fishing within the boundaries of any marine park is strictly forbidden.
There is excellent bonefishing in the BVI particularly on Anegada. Other BVI locations are not as vast as Anegada’s miles of reef. A local guide is recommended.
As well as bonefishing, saltwater fly fishing is popular for permit and tarpon. If you are interested in arranging fly fishing with guide while in the BVI contact- Caribbean Fly Fishing, (284) 494-4797; e-mail: caribbeanflyfishing@surfbvi.com; website- www.caribflyfishing.com
The yacht charter industry is committed to preserving the natural beauty and environmental health of the oceans and islands where we sail. CYBA – Charter Yacht Brokers Association International has created a “Going Green” initiative to reduce the environmental impact of the charter yacht industry.
Unfortunately, most of the Caribbean islands have limited or no recycling options – everything goes into landfills. An average sized charter yacht generates about 200-400 plastic bottles of trash each week. Using very loose math, that’s at least one million bottles a year in the landfill alone and just from crewed yachts. We all know that 200 years from now, those plastic bottles will still be there. Plus the amount of money to make those bottles and ship them to the islands leaves a large carbon footprint on the planet.
Drink the yacht’s water. The crew will provide you with re-usable water bottles or glasses. Try it – you’ll like it. And if you don’t, they will be happy to purchase bottled water for you.