Area 28

EXPECT IN-SEASON CHANGES!

The closures and restrictions described in this Area may be varied by Fishery Notice. These management changes and additional openings and closures are indicated in red on this page. You can also click on Updates on the left bar to see Fishery Notices.

Click the following links for the appropriate information:
Salmon | All Finfish (including Salmon) | Finfish (other than Salmon)
Shellfish | Area 28 Map | Tidal Boundaries on Rivers

All Species

For navigational safety, Port Metro Vancouver has prohibited fishing from vessels between a line drawn true south from Capilano Light to the shoreline and a line drawn true north from Brockton Point to the shoreline.

The following park areas are closed to the harvest of all marine life for the preservation of the unique underwater habitat.
Closures apply to all fishing of all marine life, all year:

Porteau Cove — Those waters east of a line drawn from a fishing boundary sign at the south shore of Porteau Cove northerly in a straight line to the white fishing boundary sign on the north shore of Porteau Cove. Map

Point Atkinson — bounded by a line commencing at the southwest entrance to Starboat Cove, thence seaward in a southwest direction for 85 m, thence westerly following the shoreline for 100 m, thence to the southernmost tip of Point Atkinson (125 m east of the lighthouse).

Whytecliff Park — Those waters inside a line that begins at the most southerly point
of Whytecliff Park, then in a straight line to a point located 100 m east of the most southeasterly point of Whyte Islet, then following the southern shoreline of Whyte Islet at a distance of 100 m to a point lying 100 m from the most southwesterly point of Whyte Islet, then in a straight line to a point lying 100 m west of White Cliff Point, then following the shoreline at a distance of 100 m in a northerly direction to a point 100 m north of Lookout Point, then following the shoreline at a distance of 100 m in an easterly direction to a point 100 m perpendicular to the most northerly point of Whytecliff Park, then to the most northern point of Whytecliff Park on the mainland.

Salmon

Barbless hooks must be used when fishing for salmon in all tidal waters of British Columbia.

Openings & Closures:

Species	Subarea	Min Size	Daily Limit	Possess. Limit	Annual Limit	Season Open	Gear Permitted
Chinook		62 cm	2	4	15	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & Line
Chum****		30 cm	4	8	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & Line
Hatchery Coho* see changes below	28-11 to 28-14 (Burrard Inlet east of Second Narrows/ Iron Workers Memorial Bridge, Indian Arm and Port Moody Arm).	30 cm	2	4	N/A	Apr 1-Sep 30	Hook & Line
		30 cm	0	0	N/A	Oct 1-March 31	No retention of Coho
	28-1 to 28-7 and 28-9	30 cm	2	4	N/A	Jan 1-Dec 31	Hook & Line
	28-8 and 28-10	30 cm	2	4	N/A	June 1-Dec 31	Hook & Line
Wild Coho		TBD	To be determined	To be determined	N/A	June 1-Dec 31	Hook & Line
Pink***		30 cm	See below	See below	N/A	Apr 1-Mar 31	Hook & Line
Sockeye**		30 cm	see below	see below	N/A	see below	Hook & Line
The combined daily limit for all species of Pacific salmon from tidal waters is 4. Coastwide daily limit for chinook is 2. Aggregate daily limit for all species of Pacific salmon from tidal and non-tidal waters combined is 4.

All Species: Aug 1 - Dec 31:

• It is prohibited to use more than one single-pointed hook in the tidal waters of the Seymour River from the BCR Railway bridge downstream to the fishing boundary signs located on the west and east shore of the Seymour River. Each hook must have a single point that measures no greater than 15 mm between the point and the shank of the hook.
• It is prohibited to use more than two single-pointed hooks in tandem (as when fishing with bait) in the waters of Burrard Inlet near the mouth of the Capilano River from the 14 St. Pier to Prospect Light on the seawall of Stanley Park to the north tower of the Lions Gate Bridge. Each hook must have a single point that measures no greater than 15 mm between the point and shank of the hook.

Chinook

• There is an annual limit of 15 chinook that may be taken from the waters of Areas 28 and 29. Please see Area 29 for further information regarding the tidal waters of the Fraser River.
• All retained chinook must immediately be recorded in ink on your Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence.

Coho

• There is no retention of wild coho in Area 28.
• A hatchery coho means a coho salmon that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin.

***Pink

• Pink Salmon: Effective immediately until Dec. 31, 2011: daily limit of four (4) per day, except in Subareas 28-1 to 28- 5 (Howe Sound) where the daily limit is two (2) per day. Listed 18/08/2011 FN0752

** Sockeye

• Sockeye: Effective 23:59 hours Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 and until further notice: daily limit for Fraser sockeye will be reduced to zero (0) in all waters listed in FN0784. Area 23 still remains open for the harvest of sockeye as per Fishery Notice FN0447.  Listed 16/09/2011 FN0901

• Sockeye: Aug. 25 until further notice: the daily limit for sockeye is four (4) per day in: Area 28 (Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm). Listed 24/08/2011 FN0784

All Finfish, Including Salmon Closures and Special Measures

For other finfish limits, please visit the species and limits table.

Reminder: Further to FN0752, recreational fishers are reminded that no angling is permitted within any of the Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs). In the RCAs, the only permitted fishing activities are: invertebrates by hand picking or dive, crab by trap, shrimp/prawn by trap and smelt by gill net. No fishing for salmon or other finfish may take place. RCAs in Area 28 RCAs in Area 29 Listed 24/08/2011 FN0781

Those waters of Mannion Bay (Deep Bay) on Bowen Island lying westerly of a line between two boundary signs near the entrance to Mannion Bay, are closed to fishing for all finfish, September 1 to December 31.

Those waters of Howe Sound easterly of a line between a boundary sign 300 m north of the mouth of Britannia Creek and the southern tip of Minaty Bay, are closed to fishing for all finfish, May 30 to September 30.
Map

Rockfish Conservation Areas
Domett Point	Woolridge Island
Pam Rock	Mariners Rest
West Bay	Upper Centre Bay
Lions Bay	Bowyer Island
Pasley Island	Passage Island
West Vancouver	Eastern Burrard Inlet
Indian Arm – Twin Islands	Croker Island

Finfish (Other than Salmon)

It is prohibited to use more than two single-pointed hooks in tandem (as when fishing with bait) in the waters of Burrard Inlet near the mouth of the Capilano River from the 14th Street Pier to Prospect Light on the seawall of Stanley Park to the north tower of the Lions Gate Bridge from August 1 to December 31. Each hook must have a single point that measures no greater than 15mm between the point and the shank of the hook.

It is prohibited to use more than one single-pointed hook in the tidal waters of the Seymour River from the BCR Railway bridge downstream to the fishing boundary signs located on the west and east shore of the Seymour River from August 1 to December 31. Each hook must have a single point that measures no greater than 15 mm between the point and the shank of the hook.

Rockfish and Lingcod: Area 28 is closed to the retention of rockfish and lingcod.

Halibut: recreational fishing for halibut is closed until further notice.

Halibut Experimental Recreational Fishery Program: Fishing for recreational halibut may continue for those interested in participating in the experimental recreational fishery. For details, please see the Halibut page. The program will be available to interested participants until the end of December 2011. Listed 22/08/2011 FN0769

Sevengill shark, Shortfin mako, Common thresher, Bigeye thresher, Smooth hammerhead, Pacific angel shark and Pacific sleeper shark; Salmon shark: Effective June 1, 2011 until further notice:

• Sevengill shark, Shortfin mako, Common thresher, Bigeye thresher, Smooth hammerhead, Pacific angel shark and Pacific sleeper shark: The daily limit is zero (0).
• Salmon shark: The daily limit is one (1) and the possession limit is two (2).

Listed on 11/05/2011 FN0389

Shellfish

See the Shellfish Table for limits.
Please see important Additional Shellfish Information.

Be sure to check for both PSP and Sanitary Contamination Closures if you plan on consuming any shellfish.

Crab: Effective January 15, 2008, until further notice, it is prohibited to fish for crabs from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise each day in Subareas 28-6, 28-7, 28-9, 28-11 and that portion of Subarea 28-12 southerly of a straight line from a point on the eastern shore of Indian Arm at 49 degrees 19.072 minutes North and 122 degrees 55.918 minutes West, on Turtle Head, to the most northerly point of Hamber Island, thence to the most northerly point of Grey Rocks Island thence to a point on the western shore of Indian Arm at 49 degrees 19.024 minutes North and 122 degrees 56.650 minutes West. Listed on 14/01/2008 FN0018 Closure map

Prawns and shrimp: Effective April 1, 2011: open in all coastal areas (including “pulse fishing” areas). For Stuart Channel (Subareas 17-5, 17-6, and 17-9), Saanich Inlet (Subarea 19-7 to 19-12 inclusive), and Alberni Inlet (Subareas 23-1 to 23-3 inclusive): May 5 - 11, 2011: one week closure. Listed on 15/03/2011 FN0205

Subareas 28-1 to 28-14 (Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm) are closed to the harvest of bivalve molluscs all year.

Harvesting of crab, shrimp and prawns is closed between Lions Gate Bridge and the Second Narrows Bridge, all year. This closure is to avoid conflicts with navigational activity in the harbour.

Harvesting of crab is closed in English Bay and False Creek in outer Burrard Inlet, inside a line from a fishing boundary sign on Jericho Beach to Ferguson Point in Stanley Park, all year.
 

Dioxin contamination - Howe Sound

Consumption of crab hepatopancreas should not exceed 55 g/week when harvested in the waters of Thornbrough Channel, bounded on the north by a line from McNab Point on the mainland southwest to Ekins Point on Gambier Island, and on the south by a line from a line from Gower Point to the southern tip of Home Island, thence north to Keats Island and along the western and northern shore to Cotton Point, thence west of a line to the government wharf at Gambier Harbour on Gambier Island.

Consumption of crab hepatopancreas should not exceed 130 g/week when harvested in the waters south of a line from Brunswick Point west to Irby Point on Anvil Island and along the shoreline to Domett Point on Anvil Island, west to McNab Point on the mainland, to Ekins Point on Gambier Island, to a line from Reception Point to a point 1.5 km true south of Cape Roger Curtis on Bowen Island, west to Point Atkinson. This advisory does not include the western portion of Howe Sound.
 

Shellfish Contamination
Burrard Inlet; Indian Arm; Vancouver Harbour; Horseshoe Bay; Gower Point to Soames Point; Port Graves; Camp Fircom; Halkett Bay; McNab Creek;Potlatch Creek; Mannion Bay (Deep Bay); and Grafton Bay.
May 31 to September 30: Plumper Cove.

Tidal boundaries on rivers in Areas 28 and 29

Brunette River: Burlington Northern Railway Bridge
Campbell River: Burlington Northern Railway Bridge
Capilano River: BCR Bridge
Coquitlam River: Mary Hill Bypass Bridge
Fraser River: CPR Bridge at Mission
Kanaka Creek: CPR Bridge
Nathan Creek: CNR Bridge
Nicomekl River: Burlington Northern Railway Bridge
Pitt River: CPR Bridge
Serpentine River: Burlington Northern Railway Bridge
Seymour River: CNR Bridge
Squamish River: A line between signs on the rock bluff on the west side of the river mouth, on a piling in the river mouth, and at the site of the former FMC chemical plant on the east side of the river mouth.
Stave River: CPR Bridge
West Creek: CN Railway Bridge
Whonnock Creek: CP Rail line
York Creek: CP Rail line