Points to remember when Finfish Fishing

• Purchase a tidal waters sport fishing licence prior to fishing for finfish.
   
• Check to determine if the area you intend to fish is open.
   
• Check to determine what the size and daily limits are for the species you intend to catch.
   
• You must immediately record in ink on your licence all lingcod retained from Areas 12 to 19, and Subareas 20-5 to 20-7 and 29-5.
   
• It is illegal to use gear on a line designed to catch more than one fish at a time, except when fishing for herring or in the tidal portion of the Fraser River.
   
• There is no limit to the number of fishing rods a licensed angler may use in tidal waters except in the tidal portion of any stream or river. It is illegal to angle with more than one fishing line in any lake, stream or river. The exception is a person who is alone and in a boat on a lake, who may have more than one line.
   
• It is illegal to use a “setline” (a fishing line left unattended in the water).
   
• Special limits apply for groundfish in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
   
• It is illegal to have any sport caught halibut on board any vessel on which there are fish destined for sale.

It is recommended that you DO NOT consume the liver from groundfish caught near coastal pulp mills due to possible dioxin and furan contamination. Muscle tissue (fillets) of all coastal groundfish and other finfish species is not affected.

It is recommended you eat only those spiny dogfish measuring less than 60cm due to the relatively high levels of mercury in the tissues of larger (and older) dogfish.

Be aware of hook and line, downrigger and trap gear entanglement risks in the vicinity of the UVIC Venus project in Pat Bay, Saanich Inlet. For more information, visit: www.venus.uvic.ca/notice.php

Lingcod

Research programs have indicated low levels of lingcod abundance, particularly in Areas 28 and 29. In addition, anglers should check for new management measures in Areas 13 to 19 and in Subarea 29-5 prior to fishing. A variety of management measures are being tested in the recreational fishery, including Area and Subarea closures and establishing an upper catch limit for the fishery as a whole.

The minimum size limit for a lingcod with the head removed is 53 cm, measured along the shortest length of the body to the tip of the tail. The head-on size limit is 65 cm. The length of a lingcod is measured along the body from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.

Rockfish

Catch monitoring and research programs have indicated inshore rockfish stocks, particularly in the Strait of Georgia, are at low levels of abundance. Unlike salmon, rockfish rarely survive after being caught, therefore one way to ensure their survival is to avoid catching them. Fishing away from rocky reef areas increases avoidance of rockfish.

Prior to fishing, anglers should check with a DFO office for possible new management measures in the Strait of Georgia.

DFO has initiated a rockfish recovery strategy, which includes Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs). RCAs have been established to help protect rockfish by restricting any fishing activity that impacts rockfish in and around the waters where these fish live. For additional information on RCAs see the Rockfish Conservation Areas page.

Smelt

Stanley Park smelt fishers:
Fishing for smelt in Stanley Park requires special consideration of other users of the seawall. Dip net fishers must ensure that they do not pull their net poles back into the paths of passing pedestrians or cyclists. Gillnetters should pick their nets in such a fashion as to avoid leaving scales and parts of the fish on the path, making it slippery for others. In addition, gillnets must not block or impede traffic on the seawall.

Pacific Spirit Park smelt fishers:
Pacific Spirit Park includes all beaches from the Fraser River’s North Arm around Point Grey to Acadia Beach, near Spanish Banks Beach. The park is open from 8 am to 9 pm from the start of Daylight Saving Time to Labour Day. All other days the hours are 8 am to dusk. Fishers are not allowed to access the park outside of these hours. Liquor, camping and fires are not permitted in the park. Please observe the rules.

Sturgeon

In all tidal waters there is no retention of sturgeon. In the tidal waters of the Fraser River, barbless hooks are required.