Sport fishing in Québec including salmon fishing
Main rules - Season 2012-2014
Main rules - Season 2012-2014
Yes. The licence is required in most cases. When you fish, you must have the licence in your possession and present it immediately to a wildlife protection officer or a wildlife protection assistant who asks to see it . The categories of licences offered, as well as their availability for residents and non-residents, are presented in the following table:
Availability of licence categories |
|||
Résident* |
Non-résident |
||
| Sport fishing (except for Atlantic salmon) | |||
- under 65 |
yes |
yes |
|
- 65 and over |
yes |
yes |
|
- 7 consécutive days |
no |
yes |
|
- 3 consécutive days |
yes |
yes |
|
- 1 day |
no |
yes |
|
- mandatory release** |
yes |
yes |
|
| Fishing for burbot in lac Saint-Jean | yes |
yes |
|
| Sport fishing for Atlantic salmon | |||
- annual |
yes |
yes |
|
- 1 day |
yes |
yes |
|
- mandatory |
yes |
yes |
|
| Replacement licence | yes |
yes |
|
| * See Resident, page 3. ** Licence is only valid when the holder uses the services of an outfitting establishment. |
|||
To obtain the licence rates currently in effect, consult the web site at http://www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/en/wildlife/licence-rates/ or contact the Department's Customer Services at 1 877 346-6763.
The sportfishing licence for species other than Atlantic salmon gives the holder a general authorization to fish for most species of sport interest in Québec, except for salmon. It also allows the holder to fish for species other than salmon in certain salmon rivers of zones 1, 2, 3, 18 to 21, 23, 27 and 28 outside salmon fishing periods. To find out these periods, consult the publication Salmon fishing in Québec or contact an office of the Department.
To fish for salmon, you must be the holder of an Atlantic salmon sportfishing licence. This licence is required to fish for salmon in salmon rivers and in all bodies of water where you want to fish for this species. For more details on fishing for salmon or fishing in salmon rivers, consult the publication Salmon fishing in Québec.
During a salmon fishing period, a salmon fishing licence is required to fish for every species of fish in a salmon river. However, exceptionally it is permitted to fish with a sportfishing licence during a salmon fishing period in the western branch of rivière Aux Rochers, downstream from Boulevard des Îles in Port-Cartier bridge up to its mouth (Petit Quai sector, Zone 19) See Maps of the zones, fishing periods and catch limits.
The holder of this licence may catch and keep the species other than salmon. Every salmon caught under this licence must be released.
This licence authorizes its holder, as well as the persons who can fish under his licence, to fish for this species, without catch limits, using two night lines, between December 1 and April 15, in the waters of lac Saint-Jean encircled by highways 169 and 373. Burbot fishing is also permitted, without catch limits, for the holder of a sportfishing licence during the period from December 20th to March 31st. However, anglers must respect the authorized number of lines in winter (5) for this zone as well as the authorized maximum number of hooks (3 per line). For more details, consult the heading "Burbot fishing" in the section Fishing methods, page 8.
These persons, except for your children (or those of your spouse) under 18, must have your licence on hand if you are not accompanying them. Different conditions can apply in the case of an Atlantic salmon sportfishing licence (see publication Salmon sportfishing in Québec).
However, these persons must fish under your supervision or that of your spouse.
Moreover, additional restrictions apply in the case of the Atlantic salmon sportfishing licence (see publication Salmon sportfishing in Québec).
In all cases, the total quantity of fish caught and kept per day must not exceed the quantity authorized for the licence-holder.
In the case of angling or fly fishing, each person who is fishing under another person’s licence is entitled to have his own line. In the case of winter fishing or fishing with bait, the quantity of gear authorized for the group must not exceed the number authorized for the holder of the licence under which you are fishing.
Yes. They apply to both residents and non-residents.
Yes. Sportfishing without a licence is authorized for the following persons:
In the event of loss or theft of a fishing licence, or when the licence is altered to the point of becoming unusable, obtain a replacement licence for a nominal fee to continue fishing. These replacement licences are available from the Department’s licence sales agents.
A fishing licence is non-transferable. Moreover, to be valid, it must be signed by the person who issues it and by the holder and must contain the required information in the appropriate spaces on the licence.
No. The sportfishing licence with mandatory release (except Atlantic salmon) is only valid if the holder uses the services of an outfitting operation.
The sportfishing licence is available from authorized sales agents. They are generally sports stores, hardware stores or convenience stores. Certain outfitting establlishments as well as certain wildlife sanctuaries or zecs also sell this licence.
The anadromous Atlantic salmon sportfishing licence is available from salmon fishing zecs or wildlife sanctuaries, outfitting operations that offer services related to salmon fishing and certain sales agents.
The burbot fishing licence in lac Saint-Jean is available from all authorized sales agents of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.
To obtain the fishing licence rates that are currently in effect, consult the web site at the following address
http://www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/en/wildlife/licence-rates/ or get in touch with the Department's Customer Services at 1 877 346-6763.
