Tasmania Sea Fishing Licences

Sea licence checks

Ordinary recreational sea fishing with rod and line in Tasmania marine waters usually does not need a recreational sea fishing licence. That does not make all saltwater fishing licence-free.

Fishing Tasmania lists separate recreational sea licence categories for Rock Lobster Pot, Rock Lobster Ring, Rock Lobster Dive, Abalone, Scallop, Graball Net, Mullet Net, Beach Seine Net and Set Line. Service Tasmania notes set line includes drop line and long line.

The 2025-26 recreational sea licence year runs from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026.

Sea licence category table

Sea activity	Licence answer	What to verify before fishing
Ordinary marine rod-and-line fishing	Usually no sea licence.	Seasons, size limits, bag limits and area restrictions still apply.
Rock Lobster Pot, Ring or Dive	Recreational sea licence category.	Season, area, gear, reporting and possession rules.
Abalone	Recreational sea licence category.	Open areas, season, safety, possession and measuring rules.
Scallop	Recreational sea licence category.	Open season, area and possession rules.
Graball Net, Mullet Net or Beach Seine Net	Recreational sea licence category.	Net type, marking, waters and method restrictions.
Set Line, including drop line or long line	Recreational sea licence category.	Gear, marking, water and method restrictions.

Current sea licence fee snapshot

2025-26 sea licence item	Published amount
First standard sea licence type	AUD 66.85
First concession sea licence type	AUD 38.20
Each additional licence type	AUD 9.55

Fishing Tasmania lists no short-term recreational sea licence products. Health Care Card holders are not eligible for the listed sea concession row, so confirm the current concession wording before relying on a discount.

Where to apply or renew

Use Fishing Tasmania's sea licence page and Service Tasmania's apply, renew or vary service before paying. Do not use the inland IFS licence checkout for sea lobster, abalone, scallop, net or set-line activities.

Species and gear checks

If you are checking...	Open this before fishing
Rock lobster licence	Fishing Tasmania sea licence page, rock lobster species guidance and gear rules.
Abalone licence	Fishing Tasmania sea licence page, abalone species guidance and area restrictions.
Scallop licence	Sea licence page plus current open-season and area guidance.
Nets or set lines	Sea licence page plus gear rules for the exact method and water.
Ordinary sea rod-and-line fishing	Area restrictions, size and bag rules, and species pages before keeping catch.

Area and boundary checks

Marine fishing can still have seasons, closures, gear marking rules and area restrictions. If you are near an estuary, river mouth, reserve or seaward-limit boundary, use the official IFS seaward limit and Fishing Tasmania area restrictions instead of drawing your own legal boundary from a general map.

Official references

Source	What it covers
Fishing Tasmania sea licences	Sea licence categories, fees, concession notes and sea licence year.
Service Tasmania sea licence service	Apply, renew or vary pathway and set-line category wording.
Fishing Tasmania area restrictions	Area and local restriction checks.
Fishing Tasmania seaward limits and inland waters and IFS seaward limit	Boundary checks between inland and marine systems.
Fishing Tasmania gear rules and fishing by species	Gear and species checks after the licence answer.

Keep in mind

For Tasmania sea fishing, ordinary rod-and-line marine fishing is usually the no-licence case. Rock lobster, abalone, scallop, nets and set lines are different: choose the official sea licence category, then check species, gear, season and area rules before fishing.