Fishery Notice

To address conservation concerns for at-risk Fraser River Chinook stocks, DFO is continuing precautionary measures in commercial, recreational and First Nations' fisheries to support conservation of these stocks. 

This Fishery Notice outlines the interim recreational fishery management measures to provide protection to at-risk Fraser River Chinook stocks in Areas 28 and 29. The plan is to start the 2025 fishing season (beginning April 1, 2025) with measures in place at the beginning of the 2024 season, until further notice. As these are interim measures, a further announcement on possible revised management actions will be announced in a subsequent fishery notice. 

The management measures for Fraser Chinook are outlined below.

Southern BC waters: Vancouver Area (Area 28 and portions of Area 29)

Strait of Georgia - South - Area 28 (excluding those portions listed as closed below):

April 1, 2025, until further notice: Chinook non-retention.

Portions of Southern Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound and Burrard Inlet - Subareas 28-7 to 28-9; Subarea 28-1, and that portion of Subarea 28-2 that lies Southerly of a line drawn due East from Halkett Point on Gambier Island (49 26.735'N, 123 19.302'W) to a point (49 26.550'N, 123 14.317'W) on the mainland corresponding with the SouthEast point of the Lions Bay RCA; and those portions of 29-3 to 29-5 that lie East of a line from Gower Point (49 23.021'N, 123 32.166' W) near Gibsons to Shah Point on the Southern tip of Valdes Island (49 01.695'N, 123 35.721'W):

April 1, 2025 until further notice: No fishing for Chinook.

Approaches to Fraser River - Subareas 29-6, 29-7, 29-9 to 29-17 and the non-tidal waters of the Fraser River from Mission Bridge to the confluence with Sawmill Creek:

April 1, 2025 until further notice: No fishing for Chinook.

Variation Order: 2025-RCT-017, 2025-RCT-134, 2025-RFQ-099 in effect.

NOTES AND REMINDERS:

Barbless hooks are required when fishing for salmon in tidal and non-tidal waters of British Columbia.

No fishing is allowed within 100 meters of any government facility operated for counting, passing or rearing fish.

It is illegal to willfully foul hook a salmon. If you accidentally foul hook a salmon in the ocean, it may be retained if the species is open to retention. If you accidentally foul hook a salmon in any lake or stream, including the tidal parts of coastal streams, it may not be retained and you must release it immediately with the least amount of harm as possible.

The term "marked", "hatchery marked", or "adipose fin clipped" means a fish that has a healed scar in place of the adipose fin.

All anglers must have a licence to fish in tidal waters in BC. Apply for your BC tidal waters recreational fishing licence and salmon conservation stamp at: https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/licence-permis/index-eng.html.

All anglers must have a licence to fish in non-tidal waters in BC. Apply for your BC non-tidal waters recreational fishing licence and non-tidal salmon surcharge at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/recreation/fishing-hunting/fishing/recreational-freshwater-fishing-licence 

Anglers are advised to check at: http://bcsportfishguide.ca and https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/sports-culture/recreation/fishing-hunting/fishing/fishing-regulations for fishing closures and other recreational fishing regulations and information.

Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) are currently in effect and are closed to all fin-fishing.  Descriptions of RCAs and other closures such as finfish closed areas, salmon non-retention areas, and other recreational fishing information, can be found on the internet at: 
https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/index-eng.html

Fishers are encouraged to participate in the Salmon Sport Head Recovery program by labelling and submitting heads from hatchery marked Chinook and Coho Salmon to head depots. The head-off measurement can be used by enforcement officers to assess compliance on size limits if you remove the head from Chinook or Coho. Recovery of microscopic coded-wire tags found inside hatchery marked Chinook and Coho heads provide critical information for coast-wide Salmon stock assessment programs. Contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery Program toll free at 1-866-483-9994 for further information.

Sport fishers are reminded of the importance of catch monitoring programs for recreational fisheries. As a condition of their BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence, fishers are required to provide complete and accurate information regarding their catch and fishing activities upon request of DFO creel surveyors stationed at marinas and boat launches. DFO Creel surveyors are designated authorities of Fisheries and Oceans Canada under s.61(5) of the Fisheries Act; please be respectful when asked to report catch and allow biological sampling. Refusal to report catch and/or harassment of creel surveyors will not be tolerated and may result in charges laid.

Internet Recreational Effort and Catch Reporting program (iREC): Sport Fishers are reminded that it is a condition of their BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence to complete their iREC report online before their reporting deadline. The assigned reporting period, the web address of the iREC reporting program, a unique access ID and the reporting deadline is printed on each adult licence. A report must be completed even if you did not fish during your reporting period, and also if you fished, even if you caught nothing. iREC reports are used to estimate recreational effort and kept and released catches of finfish and shellfish. For further information see FN0330 or contact the Sport Fishing Report Team at DFO.SportFishingReport-RapportPecheSportive.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

If a marine mammal 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 animal of the fishing gear as this can pose a serious threat to the safety of the fisher and the animal. If your vessel strikes a whale, or if you observe a sick, injured, distressed, or dead marine mammal in B.C. waters, please contact the hotline immediately: 1-800-465-4336 or VHF Channel 16.

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 species of sea turtle seen (i.e. leatherback), the location and time of sighting. 

Report suspicious activity or violations by email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or by calling the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, and Report line at 1-800-465-4336 or 604-607-4186 in greater Vancouver.

The 24-hour, toll-free information line for fishery notices regarding openings and closures is 1-866-431-3474 or 604-666-2828 in greater Vancouver.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Please contact the nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada office or visit our website at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0324
Sent April 2, 2025 at 1410

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Printed from the Pacific Region web site on September 6, 2026 at 0429