Quebec fishery offences eligible for tickets

Summary#

These final regulations — Regulations Amending the Contraventions Regulations (Quebec Fishery Regulations, 1990) — were registered on November 29, 2024. They add 61 existing offences from the Quebec Fishery Regulations, 1990 to the Contraventions Regulations, so those offences can be enforced by ticketing rather than by the criminal court process.

What it does#

• Adds a new Part VIII to Schedule II.1 of the Contraventions Regulations listing 61 offences from the Quebec Fishery Regulations, 1990.
• Allows enforcement officers (for example, fishery guardians) to issue tickets under the Contraventions Act for those listed offences instead of using the longer Criminal Code procedures.
• Does not create new offences or new fishing rules; it only changes how existing offences can be enforced.
• Sets fixed fines that range from $100 to $500, plus a few scaled fines. Examples:
  • Fishing on an ecological reserve — $350
  • Using a prohibited species of fish for bait — $500
  • Catching and retaining more fish than the daily quota — $200 plus $50 per additional fish
  • Catching and retaining more Atlantic salmon than the daily quota — $400 plus $200 per additional fish

Who's affected#

• Recreational and commercial fishers in Quebec who are subject to the Quebec Fishery Regulations, 1990.
• Fishery guardians and other enforcement officers who will now be able to use ticketing as an enforcement tool.
• Organizations and groups that were consulted on the change, including the ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) and stakeholder groups such as the Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs (FédéCP) and Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SÉPAQ).
• Indigenous bodies that were consulted; the Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Coordinating Committee (HFTCC) reviewed and supported the proposal.

If the source is unclear about specific groups, it is because the change mainly affects anyone who must follow the Quebec fishery rules; it does not add new rules aimed at a new group.

Why it matters#

• Ticketing is quicker and less resource-intensive than criminal prosecution. That means minor fishing infractions can be handled faster and without the risk of a Criminal Code conviction or criminal record for the person who pays the ticket.
• It gives enforcement officers a practical tool to deter and address routine violations, which may improve compliance and help protect fish and habitat.
• Because the amendments only change the enforcement method (not the rules themselves), they do not impose new fishing limits or requirements on the public.