British Columbia Tidal Waters YOU and the LAW the British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide Is Intended for General Information Purposes Only
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April 1,1992 to March 31,1993 inclusive British Columbia Tidal Waters YOU AND THE LAW The British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide is intended for general information purposes only. Where there is a discrepancy between ths guide and the regulations, the regulations are the final authority. Regulations are subjectto change from time to time and it is the responsibility of an individual to be informec of the current regulations. Depending on availability, 'egulations applicable to sport fishing in British Columbia nay be obtained from a Fishery Officer. DFO/4676 Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1992 Cat, No. Fs 1-43/1993E ISBN0-662-19358-X Egalement disponible en franca is s. us le hire : Guide de la peche sportive 1992/93 dans leseaux a m.ireede laColombie-Britannique. Produced by:CommunicationsBra;ch, Pacific Region, DFO. For further information, contact 66<-0384. Photocontributionsgratefullyacknowledged: Rick Harbo, Ron Ptolemv, Phil Edgell and Neil Bourne; Illustrations by Bernie Lyon. Cover photo courtesy of Langara I -hing LodgeLtd. British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide 1992/1993 CONTENTS General Restrictions 3 Daily Limits/Possession Limits 5 SALMON Possession Limits 6 How you can tell the difference: Chinook,Sockeye, Coho,Pink &Chum 7 Salmon Conservation 14 Chinook Limits 15 FINFISH-Other than Salmon 17 SHELLFISH Species 23 Shellfish Contaminated Areas 33 Dioxin Closures 46 Reporting Violations (Fold-out map) 50 Divers 51 Licences 52 Metric Measurements 53 Consultation 54 Boating Safety Tips 55 Commercial Fishing Vessels 56 PRESERVATION Salmonid Enhancement Program 58 Pacific Salmon Foundation 59 How to Release Salmon 60 Creel Survey, SportFishing Diary 62 Tagging Research Program 63 SALMONID HEAD RECOVERY SPORT DEPOTS 67 & -flHHflHH DFO District Offices and Important Numbers 98 Minister of Ministre des Fisheries and Oceans Peches et des Oceans Recreational fishing m British Columbia is enjoyed by a growing number of people. Lastyear, more than 450,000 anglers purchased a tidal waters sport fishing licence to seek the thrill of catching a salmon or other game fish. Whether fishing from the shore,a car-top boat or a luxury power cruiserthe appeal of B.C. fishing is part of the west coast fabric. Whether the fishing is carried out under the shadow of Vancouver skyscrapers, the quiet isolation of the west coast of Vancouver Island, remote northern inlets, or the Queen Charlotte Islands, the appeal is universal. Thefishing resource in Canadais managed for the bene fit of everyone by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, withconservation as the numberone priority. Because of the popularity ofseveral ofthesalmon andgroundfish species, we havereduced thecatch orareconsulting withorganizations to reduce thecatch. Pay particular attention this yearto lingcod limits listed in this guide, and look for anticipated new regu lationsforcoho. Withcareful management,wecansustain the almost $3billion recreational fishing industry across Canada for generations to come. This guide outlines the regulations established by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for sport fishing in all tidalwatersin British Columbia. Iencourageyou to useit,and learnfromit.Theintentis tomakeanglersaware oftherestric tions pertaining to fishing, which are in place to protect the resource for you and for future generations. Ihad thechance todosomefishing myself lastyear. Iwas able to landa 26 pound chinook salmon then, and I hope to beback again in 1992. I hope you have a memorable fishing experience! John C. Crosbie Minister of Fisheries and CHzeans General Restrictions It is illegal to: • sportfish for finfish without a licence. • use bare, unbaited hooks (without a lure) or grapnels. • use, on a line,gear designed to catch more than one fish at a time except when fishing for herring. • use more than one line when sport fishing in the tidal waters of the Pitt River (downstream of the CPR bridge) and in the Fraser River tidal waters (downstream from Mission CPR bridge). Geardesigned tocatch a maximum oftwofish at one time (bar rig) is permitted in this area. • use more than two single-pointed hooks in tandem (as whenfishing withbait) in the watersof Burrard Inletnearthe mouth of the CapilanoRiverfrom the 14thSt.Pierto Prospect Light on theseawall ofStanley Park to thenorthtower ofthe Lion's GateBridge from August1 to December 31. Each hook must have a single point which measures no greaterthan 15 mm between the point and the shank of the hook. • to use anything but a single hook and artificial luresfrom August1untilSept. 15in thewatersofDiscovery Passage and Campbell River bounded by a line true east of the fishing boundarysign at OrangePointto the middleof thechannel, then southeasterly down the middle of the channel to the intersection of a line true east from the fishing boundary sign on Tyee Spit. • possess, except at place of ordinary residence, any fish caughtwhile sport fishing thatisdressedor packed sothatthe fish cannot be easily identified, countedor measured — for example, crabs withoutershell removed or fish fillets without skin. • buy, sell, barter or attempt to buy, sell or barter any fish caught by sport fishing. • use stones, clubs, firearms, explosives, or chemicals to molest, injure or kill fish. • catch or attempt to catch fish by snagging or with snares. • trapor penfish on their spawning ground, or in rivers or streams leading to spawning grounds. • fish with a fixedweight (sinker) greater than one kg unless a downrigger is used, in which case the fishing line must be attached to the downrigger by means of an automatic release clip. Theclipmustfree the fishing linewhenthe fish takesthe lure, allowing the fish to be retrieved by rod and reel or sepa rate handline. • usea gurdy, downrigger or other implement or appliance that isactivated byasource ofpower other than byhand when sport fishing (exemption for those unable touse manual gear can be obtained by providing a medical certificate to: Chief, Recreational Fisheries Division, DFO, 400-555 W. Hastings, Vancouver, V6B 5G3). • use a netofany kind for sport fishing, except: a)a dip net may beused when fishing for herring or when landing a fish caught by angling and b)onegillnet or set net may be used whenfishing forsmelts or eulachons, provided the mesh size isgreater than 25 mm but less than 50 mm, and the length is less than7.5 m. Afloating buoyclearly marked withthe name of the operator must be attached to each end of the net. • usea dip netexcept when fishing for herring, smelts, eula chons,or crab,or when landing fish. • use gaff hooks in angling except when used as an aid to landing a fish caught on a legal line or rod and reel. • use torches or artificial lights while sport fishing, except when submerged and attached to a fishing line within one metre of the fishing hook. • use spears to fish for salmon, trout, char, sturgeon and shellfish. • fish for salmon and trout for personal use except by angling. • to tend a licenced angler's gear without possessing a licence yourself. • fail to record forthwith, on your licence, in ink, any chi nook salmon caught and retained. • catch and retain chinook salmon without a valid chinook conservation stamp affixed to vour licence. s°'-.-'•-..'»- ::•- *dg\y -';.'-*• * ";v..>\-<s;%--\\t YOU AND THE LAW The British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide is intended for general informaticn purposes only. Where there isa discrepancy between this guide andthe regulations, the regulations arc the final authority. Regulations aresubject tochange from time to time and it is the responsibility ofan individual to be informed ofthe current regulations. Depending onavailability, regulations applicable tosport fishing in Br tish Columbia may be obtained from a Fishery Officer Daily Limits These are general guides to daily limits by species. It is your responsibility to check closed areas and closed seasons for specific species and areas. Weight Quan. Abalone: 0 Clams: combined species total of 75 (varies dependingon species and area, seep. 24) Crabs: North Coast and West Coast of Vancouver Island Cape Cautionsouth, through straits 4 Eulachons: 20 kg Flounder Halibut: Herring: Lingcod: varies, depending on area, see p. 19 Mussels: 12, 25 or 75 (variesdepending on speciesand area,see p. 29) Octopus: Oysters: in shell 15 removed from shell one-half litre Perch: 8 Prawns and shrimp: in the shell 12 kg shells removed 4 kg Rockfish: combined rockfish and sculpins Salmon: (However, there are many exceptions: see p. 15 for chinook limits and p. 73-92 in closures section for varying limi Rock scallops: north of Cape Caution 12 south of Cape Caution 6 Sea urchins: 12 Scallops, spiny or pink: Sole: • Sturgeon: 1 Trout and char combined except: over 50 cm under 30 cm Possession Limits Thepossession limit isthenumberoffish (all species) that an angler has in his/her possession, at any given time,except at place of ordinary residence. Shrimp, Prawns and Halibut: One single-day limit. All Other Fish and Shellfish: Two single-day limits. SALMON Possession Limitsfor Salmon • two single-day limits of frt*sh, smoked, or frozen and 10 kg canned OR • one day limit of fresh, smoked, or frozen and 20 kg canned OR • 40 kg canned (Weights refer togross weight which isthetotal weight ofthe can or bottle plus the weight of the fish therein.) NOTE: SALMON AND GAME FISH TAKEN FROM NON- TIDAL WATERS MAY ONLY BE CANNED AT A PERSON'S ORDINARY RESIDENCE. Transport/Export Limits Inorderto transport or export salmon or game fish from British Columbia which has been caught by another person, written authorization from a fishery officer is required. No person shall export more than 40kg gross weight of canned salmon from B.C. duringanycalendaryear, ifthesalmon was taken bysport fishing. (Gross weight includes theweight of the container.) Check with customs officials inyour country for regula tionsconcerning the importationof your catch. Fish must bedressed orpacked so that the species of fish can be easily identified, counted and/or measured ifa size orspecies limit applies.