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Free Lobster, Crab and Scallop Licences at a 50% Rating

Maine issues the noncommercial lobster and crab fishing licence — normally $60 — at NO COST to a veteran with a service-connected disability rated 50% or more, and issues the noncommercial scallop licence with the $40 scallop surcharge WAIVED. Guard and Reserve discharges count. Apply through the marine resources online system or on paper.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Maine issues the noncommercial lobster and crab fishing licence — normally $60 — at NO COST to a veteran with a service-connected disability rated 50% or more, and issues the noncommercial scallop licence with the $40 scallop surcharge WAIVED. Guard and Reserve discharges count. Apply through the marine resources online system or on paper.

What it's worth: The $60 lobster and crab licence free, and the $40 scallop surcharge waived

  • The noncommercial lobster and crab fishing licence normally costs $60 and is issued at no cost.
  • The noncommercial scallop licence normally costs $18, and the $40 SCALLOP SURCHARGE is waived — so the surcharge waiver is worth more than the licence.
  • The gate is a service-connected disability rated 50% or more.
  • Discharges from the National Guard and the Reserves count, not only from the Armed Forces.
  • A DD-214 and a VA Benefit Summary Letter are both required.
  • Apply through the marine resources online licensing system or on paper.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Your rating is 50% or higher.
  • You were honorably discharged.
  • You are in Maine.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Apply through the Department of Marine Resources online system, or on paper.
  2. 2Take both documents: the DD-214 AND the VA Benefit Summary Letter. Either alone is not enough.
  3. 3Ask about the scallop licence separately — the $40 surcharge waiver is the larger saving and is easy to miss.
  4. 4Guard and Reserve discharges qualify.
Form
Application through the DMR licensing system
File with
Maine Department of Marine Resources
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter · dd214
Annual
Claimed once a year.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.