British Columbia Sport Fishing Regulations, 1996 (SOR/96-137)

1 [Repealed, SOR/2017-58, s. 35]

Interpretation

• 2 (1) The definitions in this subsection apply in these Regulations.

  Act

  Act means the Fisheries Act. (Loi)

  angling

  angling means fishing with a hook and line, with or without a rod. It does not include fishing with a set line. (pêche à la ligne)

  Area

  Area has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Pacific Fishery Management Area Regulations, 2007. (secteur)

  artificial fly

  artificial fly means

  • (a) in non-tidal waters, a single-pointed hook that is dressed only with fur, feathers, hair, textiles, tinsel, wire or any combination of those materials and to which no external weight or external attracting device is attached; and

  • (b) in tidal waters, a hook, or two hooks tied in tandem, dressed only with fur, feathers, hair, textiles, tinsel, wire or any combination of those materials. (mouche artificielle)

  day

  day means a calendar day. (jour ou journée)

  fin fish

  fin fish means all fish other than crustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs, shellfish and marine mammals. (poisson à nageoires)

  fly fishing

  fly fishing means angling with a line to which only an artificial fly is attached. (pêche à la mouche)

  foul hook

  foul hook means to hook a fish in any part of its body other than the mouth. (casaquer)

  gill net

  gill net has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Pacific Fishery Regulations, 1993. (filet maillant)

  hatchery trout

  hatchery trout means a trout of any kind that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin. (truite d’élevage)

  hatchery chinook salmon

  hatchery chinook salmon means a chinook salmon that has a healed scar in place of the adipose, pelvic or pectoral fin, or in place of a maxillary. (saumon quinnat d’élevage)

  hatchery coho salmon

  hatchery coho salmon means a coho salmon that has a healed scar in place of the adipose, pelvic or pectoral fin, or in place of a maxillary. (saumon coho d’élevage)

  kokanee

  kokanee means a land-locked sockeye salmon. (kokani)

  management unit

  management unit or M.U. means an area designated as a management unit in section 2 of the Management Unit Regulation made pursuant to the Province’s Wildlife Act. (zone d’aménagement ou Z.A.)

  mesh size

  mesh size has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Pacific Fishery Regulations, 1993. (maillage)

  natural bait

  natural bait means any foodstuff or natural substance other than wood, cotton, wool, hair, fur or feathers. It does not include fin fish other than roe. (appât naturel)

  non-tidal waters

  non-tidal waters eans the waters of the Province other than tidal waters. (eaux sans marée)

  overall length

  overall length with respect to a fish, means the distance measured from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail or, where there is no fork, to the tip of the tail. (longueur totale)

  Province

  Province means the Province of British Columbia. (province)

  Region

  Region means a region as described in section 3 of the Hunting Regulation made pursuant to the Province’s Wildlife Act. (Région)

  ring net

  ring net has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Pacific Fishery Regulations, 1993. (bolinche)

  salmon

  salmon means a chinook salmon, a chum salmon, a coho salmon, a pink salmon or a sockeye salmon other than a kokanee. (saumon)

  set line

  set line means a fishing line that is left unattended in the water. (ligne fixe)

  spear fishing

  spear fishing means fishing with a spear or an arrow that is propelled by a spring, an elastic band, compressed air or a bow or by hand. (pêche au harpon)

  sport fishing

  sport fishing means fishing for recreational purposes. (pêche sportive)

  steelhead

  steelhead, in waters where anadromous rainbow trout are found, means a rainbow trout that is greater than 50 cm in overall length. (truite arc-en-ciel anadrome)

  stream

  stream means a watercourse formed by the perennial or intermittent flow of water between continuous, definable banks and includes a river. (ruisseau)

  Subarea

  Subarea has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Pacific Fishery Management Area Regulations, 2007. (sous-secteur)

  surfline

  surfline has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Pacific Fishery Management Area Regulations, 2007. (ligne de démarcation)

  tidal portion of the Fraser River

  tidal portion of the Fraser River means the following Subareas or portions of Subareas:

  • (a) Subarea 29-11 and Subareas 29-13 to 29-17;

  • (b) the portion of Subarea 29-9 bounded on the west by a line from a fishing boundary sign near the entrance to Canoe Passage, thence to a fishing boundary sign on Westham Island, thence following the westerly shoreline of Westham Island and Reifel Island to Pelly Point on Reifel Island, thence to Garry Point on Lulu Island; and

  • (c) the portion of Subarea 29-12 bounded on the west by a line from the most southwesterly point of Sea Island, thence following the westerly shoreline of that island to the Iona Island Road Causeway, thence following that causeway and continuing in a straight line in a northerly direction to a fishing boundary sign on the north shore of Iona Island, thence in a straight line in a northerly direction to a fishing boundary sign on the mainland. (partie à marée du fleuve Fraser)

  tidal waters

  tidal waters means the waters of the Areas set out in Schedule 2 to the Pacific Fishery Management Area Regulations, 2007. (eaux à marée)

  trout

  trout means brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, lake trout, rainbow trout or steelhead. (truite)

  wild chinook salmon

  wild chinook salmon means a chinook salmon that is not a hatchery chinook salmon. (saumon quinnat sauvage)

  wild coho salmon

  wild coho salmon means a coho salmon that is not a hatchery coho salmon. (saumon coho sauvage)

  wild trout

  wild trout means a trout that is not a hatchery trout. (truite sauvage)

  year

  year means a period beginning on April 1 and ending on March 31. (année)

• (2) A reference in these Regulations to a species of fish by its common name as set out in column I of an item of Schedule I shall be construed as a reference to the species of fish whose scientific name is set out in column II of that item.

• (3) A reference in these Regulations to a measurement of mesh size, depth, length or any other dimension of a net shall be construed as a reference to a measurement taken when the net is wet.

Application

• 3 (1) These Regulations apply in respect of sport fishing in the Canadian fisheries waters of the Pacific Ocean and of the Province.

• (2) These Regulations do not apply in respect of fishing in waters to which the National Parks of Canada Fishing Regulations apply.

• (3) These Regulations do not apply in respect of fishing in the Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site.

• (4) These Regulations do not apply to fishing and related activities carried out under the authority of a licence issued under the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations.

General

4 Subject to these Regulations, no person shall molest or injure fish.

Protected Species

5 No person shall fish for, or catch and retain, any species of fish set out in the table to this section.

Gear Restrictions

• 6 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person shall angle with more than one fishing line

  • (a) in any lake or stream; or

  • (b) for white sturgeon.

• (2) A person who is alone in a boat may angle with two fishing lines in a lake.

7 No person shall angle with a fishing line to which is attached a weight that is greater than one kilogram.

• 8 (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (4), no person shall angle with a fishing line to which more than one hook, artificial lure or artificial fly is attached.

• (2) A person may angle in the tidal portion of the Fraser River with two hooks, artificial lures or artificial flies, attached to a fishing line.

• (2.1) No person shall angle in the tidal portion of the Fraser River with a fishing line to which a barbed hook is attached.

• (3) Subject to subsection (4), a person may angle in tidal waters with any number of hooks attached to a fishing line if the hooks are used in combination to hold a single piece of bait.

• (4) A person who is angling in tidal waters for herring, northern anchovy, Pacific sand lance or squid may use any number of hooks on a fishing line.

9 No person shall fish with a dip net unless

• (a) it is hung on a frame that measures no more than 90 cm in its greatest dimension;

• (b) the frame is attached to a handle; and

• (c) the bottom of the dip net is closed to form a bag that is no longer than 1.5 times the greatest dimension of the frame.

Prohibited Methods

• 10 (1) No person shall

  • (a) use a light in any manner to attract fish, unless the light is submerged and attached to a fishing line within 1 m of the fish hook;

  • (b) catch or attempt to catch fish with snares; or

  • (c) wilfully foul hook or attempt to foul hook any fish other than herring, northern anchovy, Pacific sand lance and squid.

• (2) No person who accidentally foul hooks a fish in a lake or stream shall retain the fish.

Angling from a Vessel

11 No person shall angle from a vessel that is equipped with a motor in the waters set out in column I of an item of Schedule II situated in the M.U. set out in column II of that item during the period set out in column III of that item.

12 No person shall angle from a vessel in the waters set out in column I of an item of Schedule III situated in the M.U. set out in column II of that item during the period set out in column III of that item.

Possession

• 13 (1) No person shall possess more fish of a species, other than halibut, except at the person’s ordinary residence, than twice the daily quota for fish of that species prescribed by these Regulations.

• (2) No person shall possess more than 3 halibut, except at the person’s ordinary residence.

14 No person on board a vessel shall possess any halibut taken by sport fishing if there are any other fish on board the vessel that are destined for sale, trade or barter.

14.1 No person shall possess female Dungeness, red rock or king crab.