The Fisheries Division is currently experiencing a significant transformation in its vessel registration process, and it has been assigned the responsibility of registering Sports Fishers and Recreational Fishers under its jurisdiction.
Furthermore, the remarking of the commercial fleet commenced in late 2024, beginning with the vessels marked using Barbados' call sign 8P (eight papa), followed by a series of numbers which is the hull number of the vessel in our registry.
Consequently, the sports fishing and recreational fishing fleet will adopt this same format, incorporating additional suffixes to distinguish between vessel types.
They are as follows:
Commercial Vessel: 8P-****
Sports Fishing Vessels: 8P-****-S
Recreational Fishing Vessels: 8P-****-R
Provisional Registration: 8P-****-PR
The placement of the numbers can be seen in the photo below. The pilot Sport fishing vessel ‘The Gryphon’ (8P-1939-S) is featured. The formal registration process for Sport fishing and recreational vessels is scheduled to begin in June 2026.
