Fishery Notice

The Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht 
First Nations' (Five Nations) Communal Sale Fishery for salmon and groundfish 
by hook and line (trolling, rod and reel, handline) and gillnet will open July 
15 at 00:01 hours until further notice.

The following areas are open: 

- A portion of Subarea 25-4: northwesterly of a line beginning at a boundary 
sign on Bligh Island near 49°39.732'N and 126°28.815'W then drawn northeasterly 
across the channel to a boundary sign on the opposite shore near 49°40.181'N 
and 126°28.166'W (Hanna Channel/Zuciarte Channel closure); and southwest of a 
line drawn from 49° 43.903' N and 126°29.639' W southwesterly across the inlet 
to a point located at 49°43.680' N and 126°30.322'W (Hisnit Inlet closure).

- A portion of Subarea 25-5 in upper Tlupana inlet southeasterly of a line from 
boundary signs at the entrance to Head Bay (Head Bay closure); and westerly of 
a line in Nesook Bay beginning at a point located at 49°46.209' N and 126°
24.997' W then drawn southerly to the opposite shore to a point located at 49°
45.590' N and 126°25.009' W (Nesook Bay closure).

- Subarea 25-6

- Subarea 25-7

- A portion of Subarea 25-8 southeast of a line commencing from the northern 
most tip of Strange Island due east to a boundary sign on the opposite shore of 
Tahsis Inlet.

The available Chinook catch for this opening is 486 pieces until an in-season 
reforecast is available in early August.

A maximum of 70 pieces of Chinook salmon per vessel may be retained per trip.

Bycatch of Coho, Chum, Pink, Halibut, rockfish, Lingcod and Dogfish may be 
retained.

All rockfish encountered in this fishery must be retained. Non-quota groundfish 
species are subject to the following trip limits (in round pounds): 

- "Other rockfish," including Bocaccio: 100 pounds
- Bocaccio: 25 pounds
- Pacific Cod: 100 pounds
- Sole and flounder: no limit

Fishing shall be permitted by trolling with barbless hook and line and 
gillnets. Gillnets shall be a maximum of 50 fathoms long and 60 meshes deep and 
must be retrieved without the aid of any mechanical or hydraulic device. 
Gillnets must be attended at all times; a vessel can not be further than 50 
meters from the deployed gillnet at any time. The end of the gillnet that is 
not attached to a vessel shall be marked with a lantern that gives a steady 
white light during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one 
hour before sunrise. The maximum gill net soak time is 60 minutes.

All harvesters must file a start fishing report (hail out) prior to 
participating in the fishery by calling or texting 250-266-0418 or emailing 
hail@taaqwiihak.ca or completing the report online at www.taaq.ca.

A vessel designated to harvest fish shall be identified by a T'aaq-wiihak decal 
number and a T'aaq-wiihak flag. The T'aaq-wiihak flag shall be mounted as high 
as practical and be clearly visible, legible and unobstructed.  Individuals who 
fish under authority of the licence shall carry documentation to establish 
their identity as Participants (T'aaq-wiihak Card) and membership in one of 
Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht First 
Nations while participating in the fishery and while transporting fish 
harvested in the fishery, and will present such documentation on request by any 
fishery officer or fishery guardian.

All fish caught in this fishery are to be landed at the designated landing 
sites: 
- Ahminaquis Boat Launch, Gold River; and
- Yuquot (Friendly Cove).

Transferring of catch from one vessel to another is permitted provided the 
transfer does not exceed the trip limit or the vessel cap.  When transferring 
catch from one vessel to anther that exceeds the trip limit or vessel cap, the 
vessel master must receive advance permission from the First Nation's Fishery 
Manager for the transfer to be authorized. 

All vessel masters must obtain a Landing Slip in order to sell any fish caught 
in the fishery. All fish sold in this fishery must be accompanied by a Sales 
Slip. 

All fish retained will be verified by Five Nations dockside monitors. 
Harvesters must permit Five Nations dockside monitors access to their catch at 
landing sites for the verification procedure. Five Nations dockside monitors or 
J.O. Thomas and Associates dockside monitors may also be sampling Chinook (and 
coho when applicable) for coded-wire tags.

All halibut retained for sale must be tagged by a Five Nations dockside monitor 
prior to sale.

Vessel Masters will maintain a logbook and submit a completed report to the 
Five Nations dockside monitor at each landing. Landing slips will not be issued 
by the Five Nations dockside monitor without the submission of completed 
logbook reports. 

Vessel masters are reminded to refer to the communal licence authorizing this 
fishery for complete details. Copies of the licence are available from the DFO 
Resource Manager, Ryan O'Connell (250-756-7243) and the T'aaq-wiihak Fisheries 
Manager, Alex Gagne (250-725-3899).

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is monitoring seabird by-catch to 
determine potential impact on bird populations under current fishing effort and 
bird numbers. Fishers are requested to submit all dead birds entangled in nets 
to ECCC for species confirmation and DNA analysis to determine the colony of 
origin.

Please call your local charter patrol to organize pick-up, drop carcasses off 
at a local DFO office, or contact ECCC directly by calling the Wild Bird 
Mortality Reporting Line 1-866-431-2473 (BIRD). Handle birds with gloves, 
double bag dead birds. Label bag with date, time, location, fishery opening and 
vessel name (Skipper name is not needed). Alternatively, please send 
photographs of birds with a reference object such as a coin, and the date, 
time, location, fishery opening and vessel name to laurie.wilson@canada.ca. 
Questions: contact Laurie Wilson (laurie.wilson@canada.ca, 604-862-8817).

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is interested in reports of sea turtles in BC 
waters. By documenting sightings we are able to learn more about how, when, and 
where these turtles are using our waters. If you see a sea turtle, please call 
this toll-free phone number: 1-866-I SAW ONE (1-866-472-9663). Please include 
information such as the type of sea turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the 
location, and time of sighting. 
       
Fishers should be advised that whales can be encountered in the fishing area. 
Fishers should take precautionary measures to avoid fishing near whales to 
avoid potential contact with fishing gear. If a whale becomes entangled in 
fishing gear, fishers should immediately call the Observe, Record, Report (ORR) 
line at 1-800-465-4336. Fishers are advised not to attempt to free the whale of 
the fishing gear as this can pose a serious threat to the safety of the fisher 
and the animal.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ryan O'Connell, A/Resource Manager, Port Alberni (250) 720-7243

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0653
Sent July 12, 2019 at 1755

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Printed from the Pacific Region web site on August 24, 2026 at 1245