Fisheries and Oceans Canada
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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Finfish Identification
Spiny Dogfish | Eulachon | Flatfish (Flounder & Sole) | Greenling | Halibut | Herring Lingcod | Mackerel | Rockfish | Sardine | Smelt | Sturgeon | Surfperch
Spiny Dogfish
Spiny dogfish are mediumsized sharks with dark gray or brown on the
back and pale gray or white on the belly; small dogfish have irregular white spots on their back or sides.
Average length is between 75 and 105 cm, however large females can be 160 cm and
10 kg. Both dorsal fins are preceded by spines. Spiny dogfish live 25 to
30 years.
Due to relatively high levels of mercury in the tissues of large (and older) dogfish, it is recommended you eat only those fish measuring less than 60 cm. The daily limit is 20.
Eulachon
Eulachon, also known as oolakan and candlefish, are small (20 to 25 cm) fish found from Alaska to California. They are distinguished from other smelt by the presence of common centre rings, running parallel to each other, on the gill plate and having the pelvic fins in front of the dorsal fin.
When fishing by means of a gillnet for eulachon or smelt, the net cannot exceed 7.5 m in length and the mesh size must be greater than 25 mm, but less than 50 mm. Check current limits.
Flatfish (Flounder & Sole)
As larvae, flatfish resemble other fish in having an eye on each side of
their head. However, the skull changes so that both eyes are on one
side of the head when they become young adults. Both eyes are on the
dark-coloured side of the body, while the other side is eyeless and
white. Flatfish lie on the bottom with the dark-coloured side up; some
can change colour to match their surrounding environment. Flatfish are
oval or diamond-shaped and have long dorsal and anal fins. Most flatfish
are “dextral”, which means the eyes and pigment are on their right side.
Sole/Flounder are often misidentified as small halibut. They can be found in waters up to 305 meters deep, and may be fished using the same methods as for halibut. The combined daily limit for flounder and sole is 8.
Greenling
Greenlings are a small, elongated fish with a long dorsal fin split into long sections; one along the spine area, and the other along the anal fin area. Most are inshore species foraging in rocky habitat or kelp and eelgrass beds. The two species of interest to anglers are the kelp greenling and the lingcod. Kelp greenlings reach approximately 50 cm in length, and have small mouths and five centre lines on each side. The sexes are coloured differently: males are brown with blue spots on the head and back, while females are golden-brown with red spots.
Found in shallow, sometimes intertidal areas with rocky or weedy bottoms, greenling are easy to catch. They will take almost any bait or lure. Although they are often mistaken for lingcod, they do not reach the same size. They may also share a similar olive hue but tend to be much more brightly coloured. The daily limit is 3.
Halibut
Halibut are the largest flatfish species in B.C.
They are mottled
olive-green, brown or black on the dark coloured side and white on
opposite.
The mouth is large with cone-shaped teeth and the tail is broad and
slightly forked. Females are larger than males growing up to 267 cm in
length and weighing 226 kg. Male’s maximum size is 140 cm and 56 kg.
No one may fish for or retain halibut from January 1-31. Visit halibut for more information.
Halibut Length-Net Weight Table
|
Length |
Weight |
| 99 cm | 9.2 kg (20.3 lbs) |
| 111 cm | 13.3 kg (29.3 lbs) |
| 131 cm | 22.7 kg (50.1 lbs) |
| 146 cm | 32.3 kg (71.2 lbs) |
Herring
Pacific herring are silvery fish that form huge schools. They are
blue-green on the back and silver below, with large, toothless mouths
and large eyes. Unlike shad or sardines, they have no spots and they
have large scales, unlike smelts. Although they can reach lengths of 46
cm, most in B.C. are less than 25 cm.
This small fish is the foremost baitfish in the Pacific Northwest, utilized by recreational salmon anglers who fillet it into "strip" for trolling and casting. They may be caught by herring jig or rake, or by using a dip or cast net. The daily limit for herring is 20 kilograms.
Lingcod
Lingcod are large predators with huge mouths armed with numerous sharp teeth. They are brown with darker marks of different colours, spots or shades on the back and sides. Female lingcod grow to 150 cm, although males rarely exceed 100 cm.
Biological assessments have indicated that lingcod stocks in the Strait of Georgia waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland are severely depressed and require protection if the stocks are to rebuild.
In those areas where lingcod can be retained, record your catch
immediately on your licence.
See table for
limits. Note: Meat can sometimes have a green tinge to it, which
turns white when it is cooked.
Two species are commonly referred to as mackerel in B.C. One is the
Chub or Pacific mackerel which is a streamlined fish with two dorsal
fins and a series of five small finlets between the second dorsal and
tail. They have blue-green backs with wavy irregular vertical lines; can
reach more than 60 cm in size, although most are around 45 cm. The other
species is Jack mackerel which is similar in appearance except that the
second dorsal fin is long with only a single finlet following. These
fish are blue-green above and silvery below with a series of large
scales along the lateral line. They are generally larger than Chub
mackerel, reaching about 80 cm. Mackerel are from the tuna family and are frequently encountered off
the west coast of Vancouver Island during years when warm waters from
the El Niño current are prevalent. They are rarely found inside the
Strait of Georgia. The daily limit for mackerel is 100.
Rockfish are bass-like in appearance, with large mouths and eyes, spines
on the head and gill plates, and prominent fins. Colour varies between
species with shallow water rockfish generally having dark colours
(green, brown or black) and deep water species usually orange or red.
There are 35 species of rockfish known from British Columbia. Depending
on the species, rockfish can range from 18 cm in length up to 120 cm.
Inshore rockfish need your help. Catch monitoring and research programs
have indicated inshore rockfish stocks in the Strait of Georgia are at
very low levels of abundance. Rockfish are very slow growing and do not
reproduce until they are quite old, from 7 to 20 years, depending on the
species. They also live for a long time; the maximum age for yelloweye
rockfish is 118 years and 95 years for quillback rockfish.
Unlike salmon, rockfish rarely survive after being caught, therefore one
way to ensure their survival is to avoid catching them. Another way is
to fish away from rocky reef areas.
DFO has initiated a rockfish recovery strategy, which includes Rockfish
Conservation Areas (RCAs). RCAs have been established to help protect
rockfish by restricting fishing activity in and around the waters where
these fish live.
Permitted sport fishing activity in an RCA includes: All other fishing activity in an RCA is prohibited. Visit rockfish conservation for more information on species and a
map of restricted fishing areas. Pacific Sardines, commonly called pilchards, are a small migratory
fish related to herring and shad. Sardines migrate to B.C. from
California during the late summer and remain until the fall when they
migrate back to California to spawn. They can be recognized by a row of
black spots on the sides of the body under the scales. Sardines are most
frequently encountered off the west coast of Vancouver Island during
years when warm El Niño waters are prevalent. They are rarely found
inside the Strait of Georgia. Smelt are relatively small, silvery fish. They move in large schools
along the coastline during migration to their spawning grounds on
beaches and in estuaries. Smelt usually reach only 15 cm. Smelt fishing is closed from June 15 to August 15 inclusive, in
waters of the Lower Mainland east of a line from Reception Point on the
Sechelt Peninsula, to Thrasher Rock Light and to the most westerly point
of the International Boundary in the Strait of Georgia. These same
waters are also closed to sport fishing for smelt from 8 a.m. Monday to
8 a.m. Thursday at all other times of the year.
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. Gill-netters 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. Garbage and waste must be placed in Parks Board
garbage cans, and public washrooms available in the park must be used at
all times. 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.
Park hours from the start of Daylight Saving Time to Labour Day - 8 am
to 9 pm. All other days - 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 are made up of a tough, elastic, fibrous connective tissue
(cartilage), and can grow to six metres long and weigh over 600 kg.
Their elongate body usually ranges from greenish grey on the back to
light grey or white on the belly. Instead of scales, their bodies have
five rows large armour-like plates know as scutes. They have long noses
and projecting mouths, located on the lower part of the head,
accompanied by four fleshy whiskers known as barbels. There are two
species of sturgeon in B.C.; both white and green sturgeon occur inshore
and in large river systems. Only the smaller green sturgeon can be found
further offshore. In all tidal waters there is no retention of sturgeon. In the tidal waters of the Fraser River, barbless hooks are required. If fishing for sturgeon, an angler may only use one line, and must
release any sturgeon caught. The B.C. government has also taken action
to protect sturgeon in the non-tidal portion of the Fraser River, and
have a tagging program in place. See the
provincial
regulations.
Surfperch have compressed deep bodies with large eyes and
relatively small mouths. The striped seaperch sports bright blue and
gold stripes; the pile perch is silvery with black vertical bars; and
the shiner perch is silver with vertical gold bars. The shiner perch is
the smallest surfperch, reaching 20 mm in length, while the pile perch
is the largest, growing up to 45 cm in length. Perch give birth to low numbers of live young and may be subject to
local population depletion in areas of high fishing pressure. It is
requested that anglers release all perch, that will not be retained,
with the least possible harm. The combined daily limit of perch is 8.
Your comments on the management of trout, char and sturgeon in tidal
and non-tidal waters are welcomed. Write to: Ministry of
Environment,
There is a minimum size limit of 65 cm in Areas 11, 12 and 20 to 27. The
length of a lingcod means the distance measured along the body from the tip
of the nose to the tip of the tail. 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 pectoral fins should remain attached.Mackerel
Rockfish
Sardine
The daily limit is 100. Smelt
When fishing for smelt or eulachon by means of a gillnet, the net cannot
exceed 7.5 m in length and the mesh size must be greater than 25 mm, but
less than 50 mm.
A floating buoy clearly marked with the name of the owner must be
attached to each end of the net. The daily limit is 100.
Stanley Park smelt fishersSturgeon
Surfperch
PO Box 9374 STN PROV GOVT, Victoria, BC V8W 9M4
or visit their website at:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/
