Skip to content | Skip to institutional links

Common menu bar links

Finfish (other than salmon) - Species and Limits Table

This table is a guideline only. During the year, a number of important regulation changes may have to be made in specific waters. These management changes are indicated in red on this page. Also check the list of Management Changes and Updates on the Finfish Opportunities page or check the Area you will be fishing, immediately prior to fishing, for closures and updates that effect limits. EXPECT IN-SEASON CHANGES!

For Fraser River salmon, go to the Fraser River Salmon Limits.

You may also check with your local DFO office for possible regulation changes or phone 604-666-2828.

Note: The same management measures apply to offshore waters as the corresponding inshore waters (eg: limits in 23 apply to 123) unless otherwise stated. Special limits apply for groundfish in Pacific Rim National Park.

Species	Area	Min. Size Limit	Daily Limit	Poss. Limit	Annual Limit	Season Open	Gear Permitted	Comments
Codfish	1 to 29	N/A	8	16	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line, spear	Species includes: Pacific cod, pollock and hake.
Eulachon	1 to 5 and 11 to 27	N/A	20kg	40kg	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Gillnet, dip net	Gillnet cannot exceed 7.5 m in length, mesh size must be greater than 25 mm and less than 50 mm. A floating buoy clearly marked with the name of the operator must be attached to each end of the net.
Eulachon	6 to 10, 28 and 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	Due to conservation concerns harvesting of eulachon is prohibited.
Greenling	1 to 29	N/A	3	6	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line, spear
Halibut	1 to 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed until further notice	N/A	FN0109 Areas 121, 23 and 123: Effective March 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011: - No person shall fish for or retain halibut, rockfish and lingcod in Area 121 outside the 12 nautical mile limit seaward of a line that begins at 48 degrees 34.000 minutes North latitude and 125 degrees 17.386 minutes West longitude and continues south easterly at a bearing of 116 degrees True to a point at 48 degrees 28.327 minutes North latitude and 125 degrees 01.687 minutes West longitude. - Electronic licence conditions will be continued as follows: "Only a Canadian resident may fish for or retain halibut under an electronic licence in management Areas 121, 23 and 123."
Herring	1 to 29	N/A	20 kg	40 kg	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Dip net, herring jig, herring rake, cast net	Harvesting of herring roe-on-kelp is prohibited.
Lingcod	1 to 10	None	3	6	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & line, spear
	12 to 19, 20-5 to 20-7 and 29-5	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	FN0918
	11, 20W to 27	65 cm	3	6	N/A	Apr 1-Nov 15	Hook & line, spear	West of a line from Sheringham Point to the International Boundary (Area 20W)
	28, 29 (except for Subarea 29-5)	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	Due to conservation concerns, there is no fishing for lingcod.
Mackerel	1 to 29	N/A	100	200	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line, dip net, herring jig, cast net
Northern Anchovy	1 to 29	N/A	20kg	40kg	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Dip net, herring jig, herring rake, cast net
Pacific Sand Lance	1 to 29	N/A	5 kg	10 kg	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Dip net, herring jig, herring rake, cast net	Also known as Needlefish.
Pacific Sardine	1 to 29	N/A	100	200	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Dip net, herring jig, herring rake, cast net	Also known as Pilchard.
Perch	1 to 29	N/A	8	16	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & Line	Includes all species of perch, pile perch, and shiners.
Rockfish Note: Rockfish Conservation Areas are in effect in some areas. Follow this link prior to fishing.	1 to 10	N/A	5	10	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & line, spear	Aggregate daily limit for all rockfish is 5, no more than 3 may be Yelloweye.
	12 to 19, 20-5 to 20-7 and 29-5	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	FN0918
	11, 20W to 27, 111, 121, 123 to 127	N/A	3	6	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & line, spear	West of a line from Sheringham Pt. to the International Boundary (Area 20W). Aggregate daily limit for all rockfish is 3, no more than 2 may be Yelloweye.
	28, 29 (except for Subarea 29-5)	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	Due to conservation concerns, there is no fishing for Rockfish
Sablefish	1 to 29	N/A	4	8	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line	Also known as Black Cod
Sculpin	1 to 29	N/A	8	16	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line
Basking, Tope, Bluntnose Sixgill, Blue, Brown Cat & Great White Sharks	1 to 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	Closed	N/A	There is no fishing for these species of shark.
Spiny Dogfish	1 to 29	N/A	4	8	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook and line
Salmon Shark	1 to 29	N/A	1	2	N/A	June 1, 2011 until further notice	Hook & line	FN0389
Broadnose Sevengill Shark, Shortfin mako, Common thresher, Bigeye thresher, Smooth hammerhead, Pacific angel shark and Pacific sleeper shark	1 to 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	June 1, 2011 until further notice	N/A	FN0389
Skate	1 to 29	N/A	1	2	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line
Smelt	1 to 27	N/A	20kg	40kg	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Gillnet, dip net	Gillnet cannot exceed 7.5 m in length, mesh size must be greater than 25mm and less than 50mm. A floating buoy clearly marked with the name of the operator must be attached to each end of the net.
Smelt	28, 29	N/A	20kg	40kg	N/A	Aug 16 - Jun 14	Gillnet, dip net	The fishery is only open from 8am Thursday to 8am Monday.
Sole & Flounder	1 to 29	N/A	8	16	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook and line and spear fishing while diving	Includes all species of flounder and sole but not halibut.
Sturgeon	1 to 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line	Catch and release only.
Trout	1 to 10	30cm	2	4	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line	Species includes hatchery steelhead, cutthroat, brown and dolly varden. Only 1 fish per day may be greater than 50cm. Daily limit is 0 in the tidal waters of Tlell River in Area 2.
Trout	11 to 29	30cm	2	4	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line	Retention of hatchery marked fish only. No retention of wild fish south of Cape Caution.
Albacore Tuna	1 to 29	N/A	20	40	N/A		Hook and line
All other tuna species	1 to 29	N/A	20	40	N/A		Hook and line
Wolfeel	1 to 29	N/A	0	0	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	N/A
All other species	1 to 29	N/A	20	40	N/A	Apr 01-Mar 31	Hook & line