BC Sport Fishing Regulations Updated

Summary#

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has published proposed changes to the British Columbia Sport Fishing Regulations, 1996. The changes would move many long-standing licence conditions into the regulations and add new size limits, quotas and gear rules; comments are invited for 30 days from publication (July 4, 2026), i.e. until August 3, 2026.

What it does#

• Moves long-standing conditions printed on recreational tidal-water licences into the British Columbia Sport Fishing Regulations, 1996 so they can be changed more quickly in-season by officials and communicated by fishery notices.
• Adds pectoral-length measurements (a head-off equivalent) for Chinook and coho salmon so size rules and quotas can be applied when fish are cleaned before transport.
• Creates a new regulatory part for halibut that:
  • Requires immediate recording of retained halibut on the licence or in a DFO catch registry.
  • Sets three size categories with separate daily quotas (small, medium, large) and close times.
  • Limits retention to 10 halibut per person per year.
  • Caps daily retention to 2 halibut in the aggregate across subareas.
  • Limits possession to 3 halibut except at a person’s residence.
• Requires that any person angling from a vessel must have a descending device onboard, and that released rockfish be returned quickly to a similar depth using that device.
• Sets minimum shellfish sizes:
  • Manila clams and littleneck clams: 35 mm minimum.
  • Butter clams: 55 mm minimum.
• Lists many rockfish species individually (e.g., bocaccio, China, quillback, tiger, copper, black, canary, redbanded, vermillion) and introduces an aggregate daily rockfish limit of 3 fish (with yelloweye rockfish limited to 2).
• Adds tuna species by name (e.g., albacore, bigeye, Pacific bluefin, Pacific bonito, skipjack, yellowfin, yellowtail amberjack) with an aggregate daily quota of 20.
• Adds or clarifies other species rules:
  • Varnish clam quota increased to 75 (noted as an invasive species).
  • Opal squid daily quota 200; Humboldt squid daily quota 20.
• Updates definitions and measurement rules (for example, definitions for artificial fly, fly fishing, artificial lure, descending device and pectoral length).
• Makes a minor update to the Skeena River boundary description to reflect new signage.

Who's affected#

• Recreational fishers and anglers in British Columbia tidal and freshwater fisheries.
• Charter, guide and other sport-fishing operators will likely notice rule and quota changes that affect what clients can legally keep.
• Fishery managers and enforcement officers, who will use the new regulatory tools for in-season decisions.
• Indigenous people who fish under special authorizations: those fishing under the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations or other Indigenous authorizations are excluded from the BCSFR restrictions named in this proposal.
• The notice says small businesses are not expected to face new administrative costs.

If you fish recreationally in B.C., you are the main group this would affect.

Why it matters#

• Faster, clearer changes: moving licence conditions into regulation makes it easier for managers to change rules quickly during the season and to post those changes publicly. That can protect at-risk stocks or open short opportunities when conditions allow.
• Practical impacts for anglers: you may need to carry new gear (a descending device), record halibut catches immediately, and follow new size and daily limits for species you target. That can change what you keep on a trip.
• Conservation and monitoring: species-level rules (rather than family-level) and recording requirements for halibut support better stock management and international reporting obligations.
• Legal permanence: putting measures in regulation makes them more permanent than licence conditions, so familiar licence rules may become fixed unless changed through formal regulatory processes.

If adopted, these changes will alter what recreational fishers can legally catch, keep, and how they must handle some fish in B.C. waters.