Quebec Fishery Regulations, 1990 (SOR/90-214)

• 30 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person shall, while angling, use

  • (a) more than one line at a time or, if the use of more than one line for angling is permitted, more than the number of lines permitted;

  • (b) a line that is not closely and constantly attended by the person;

  • (c) a line that is equipped with more than three hooks, except when fishing for rainbow smelt in Area 21, when fishing for any species of fish in Area 25 or when fishing for any species of fish in that part of the waters of Lake Saint-François located in Area 8 and west of a line drawn from Beaudette Point on the north shore to Saint-Louis Point on the south shore;

  • (d) a line that is equipped with more than four hooks in Area 25 or in that part of the waters of Lake Saint-François located west of a line drawn from Beaudette Point on the north shore to Saint-Louis Point on the south shore;

  • (e) in a salmon river during a period when Atlantic salmon fishing is permitted, a line with more than one single or double hook;

  • (f) in a salmon river during a period when Atlantic salmon fishing is not permitted, a line whose hook or combination of hooks has a total of more than three points; or

  • (g) in waters reserved for fly fishing, a line whose hook or combination of hooks has a total of more than three points.

• (2) If the use of more than one line for angling is permitted, each line used by a person referred to in paragraph 5(3)(a), (b) or (c) is considered to be used by the holder of the licence.

• (3) No person shall engage in angling and in fly fishing simultaneously.

• 31 (1) Except as set out in Schedule 1, no person shall fish other than by fly fishing in a salmon river referred to in Schedule 6 or in waters reserved for fly fishing.

• (2) Except as set out in Schedule 1, no person shall fish in the waters referred to in subsection (1) by means of an artificial fly that is

  • (a) attached to a weighted core line or a weighted down line;

  • (b) baited; or

  • (c) equipped with a single, double or triple hook that is larger than the maximum size.

• (3) No person engaged in fly fishing in a salmon river shall use

  • (a) more than one artificial fly when Atlantic salmon fishing is authorized in that river; or

  • (b) more than two artificial flies when Atlantic salmon fishing is prohibited in that river.

• (4) No person engaged in fly fishing in waters reserved for fly fishing shall use more than two artificial flies.

32 Subject to section 29, no person who is engaged in sport fishing shall, for the purpose of landing a fish, use

• (a) any net other than a landing net;

• (b) a tailer that exceeds 2 m in length;

• (c) a spring gaff; or

• (d) in the case of Atlantic salmon, any gaff.

Fishing Location Restrictions

• 33 (1) No person shall engage in sport fishing from

  • (a) a bridge crossing a salmon river or an estuary thereof; or

  • (b) a motor boat in the waters of Saint-Jean River Wildlife Sanctuary or in that part of Matapédia-and-Patapédia-Rivers Wildlife Sanctuary between Causapscal River and the falls downstream from the Richard Salmon Pool situated near the boundary between Bonaventure and Matapédia counties.

• (2) No person shall engage in sport fishing from a boat or from any other floating apparatus in the waters of the Sainte-Anne River wildlife sanctuary or of the Cap-Chat River, Dartmouth River, Matane River or Petit-Saguenay River controlled zones.

Close Times

34 No person shall fish in any salmon river during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise other than from December 1 to the Thursday preceding the fourth Friday in April in places where and during periods when fishing for rainbow smelt is authorized.

Fishing Quotas

• 35 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person engaged in sport fishing shall catch and retain in any one day from the waters set out in an item of Schedule 2 more fish of a species set out in that item than the daily fishing quota set out in that item.

• (2) No person shall, in any one day,

  • (a) subject to section 36, catch and retain more Atlantic salmon referred to in Schedule 2 from a salmon river set out in Schedule 6 than the highest daily fishing quota set out in Schedule 2 for that river; or

  • (b) catch and release more Atlantic salmon referred to in Schedule 2 from a salmon river set out in Schedule 6 than the highest daily fishing quota set out in Schedule 2 for that river.

• (3) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2), fish caught and retained by a person referred to in paragraph 5(3)(a), (b) or (c) or, in the case of Atlantic salmon, fish caught and released by that person shall be counted as fish caught by the holder of the licence.

• (4) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2), fish caught and retained or Atlantic salmon caught and released in waters adjacent to waters set out in Schedules 2 and 6 shall be counted as fish from the waters set out in those Schedules.

36 No person shall catch and retain in any year more than four Atlantic salmon and, of those, all four can be small or three can be small and one may be large.

• 37 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person shall, during any day, continue to fish for a species of fish in waters set out in Schedule 2 after the person has, during that day, caught and retained, in a body of water, the number of fish corresponding to the daily fishing quota stipulated in that Schedule for that species in respect of that body of water, unless the fishing continues in another body of water where the daily fishing quota stipulated for that species is higher.

• (2) No person shall, during any day, continue to fish in any salmon river set out in Schedule 6 and included in Area 1, 2, 3, 18, 21, 27 or 28 after the person has, during that day, caught and retained or, if the daily quota set out in Schedule 2 applies in respect of catching and releasing, caught and released in that river a number of Atlantic salmon equal to the highest daily fishing quota of Atlantic salmon for the rivers in those Areas.

Possession Restrictions

38 No person shall have in the person’s possession, other than at the person’s permanent residence, any fish taken by sport fishing that are skinned, cut or packed in such a manner that

• (a) the species cannot be readily identified;

• (b) the number of fish cannot be readily counted; or

• (c) the length of fish cannot be readily measured where a length limit is applicable.

38.1 Section 38 does not apply to prohibit the possession of the equivalent in fillets of a sauger or walleye that

• (a) measures 30 cm or more in length and has been taken from the waters referred to in Schedule 2 and for which a minimum length limit of 30 cm has been set if the two fillets measure 20 cm or more in length with the skin adhering completely to the flesh; and

• (b) measures 35 cm or more in length and has been taken from the waters referred to in Schedule 2 and for which a minimum length limit of 35 cm has been set if the two fillets measure 23 cm or more in length with the skin adhering completely to the flesh.

38.2 Subject to section 29, no person shall have in their possession a fish taken by sport fishing that is of a species set out in column 1 of Schedule 1 in waters set out in column 2 during the close time set out in column 4.

• 39 (1) No person shall have in their possession

  • (a) in the waters in which the person is engaged in sport fishing, more fish than the daily quota set out in Schedule 2 for that species for the waters in which the person is fishing;

  • (b) in a wildlife reserve or a communal wildlife area, more fish taken by sport fishing than the daily quota set out in Schedule 2 for that species for the waters of that wildlife reserve or communal wildlife area; or

  • (c) in any place, for species of fish other than Atlantic salmon,

    • (i) subject to subsection (2), more fish taken by sport fishing in an Area than the highest daily fishing quota set out in Schedule 2 for that species for the waters of that Area, or

    • (ii) more fish taken by sport fishing than the highest daily fishing quota set out in Schedule 2 for that species for the waters of all the Areas.

• (2) A person may possess more lake trout or splake trout taken by sport fishing from an Area than the daily quota set out in Schedule 2 for those species in that Area if the lake trout or splake trout in excess of that quota are taken from waters of an outfitter and if the total number of lake trout and splake trout possessed by that person and taken in that Area does not exceed the highest daily quota for the waters of outfitters in that Area.

Length Limits

40 No person engaged in sport fishing shall catch and retain or possess fish of a length that does not comply with the length limit set out in an item of Schedule 2 from waters set out in that item.

Salmon Registration

• 41 (1) Every person who catches and retains an Atlantic salmon shall, within 48 hours after leaving the fishing location or immediately if requested to do so by a fishery officer, register the salmon in accordance with subsections (2) to (4).

• (2) The person shall register the Atlantic salmon at the registration station that has been established for the body of water in which the salmon was caught by presenting their fishing licence and the salmon, either whole or gutted, and allowing a sample to be taken or an examination to be made for scientific purposes.

• (3) If the registration station is not in operation, the person shall register the Atlantic salmon by using any self-registration procedure that is available at the station — including by completing and signing any required form in accordance with the instructions given and depositing it in the indicated location — or, if self-registration is not available, by using any remote registration procedure that has been implemented for the station.

• (4) If none of the methods of registration referred to in subsections (2) and (3) are available, the person shall register the Atlantic salmon using any remote registration procedure that is specified by the Minister.

Burbot Fishing

• 42 (1) The holder of a licence set out in item 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 5 shall affix a valid tag issued with their licence to the identification marker for each of the night lines they are using and shall ensure that the night lines all rest continuously on the bottom of the water.

• (2) The tag is not valid if it has been modified or altered in any manner that renders any information on the tag illegible.

43 [Repealed, SOR/2008-322, s. 28]

Whitefish

44 [Repealed, SOR/93-118, s. 18]

45 [Repealed, SOR/2008-322, s. 28]

PART IVCommercial Fishing

Application

• 46 (1) This Part applies in respect of commercial fishing.

• (2) [Repealed, SOR/2003-176, s. 14]

Close Times and Fishing Quotas

47 No person shall engage in commercial fishing under the authority of a licence referred to in item 1, column 1, of Part 2 of Schedule 5 for fish of a species

• (a) that may not be taken or transported under the conditions of the licence;

• (b) in waters in which a person may not engage in fishing for that species under the conditions of the licence;

• (c) during a period in which a person may not engage in fishing for that species under the conditions of the licence;

• (d) during a period in which that species may not be transported under the conditions of the licence;

• (e) with a type, quantity or size of fishing gear that may not be used to fish for that species under the conditions of the licence; and

• (f) in a manner that may not be used to fish for that species under the conditions of the licence.