Catchable

Learn / Lesson 1 of 6

Do I need a fishing licence in BC?

Yes, most people do. Salt water and fresh water each need their own licence. Rules for children are on the official pages.

The official source wins. This page explains. The official pages at the bottom decide.

Why

BC has two kinds of water, and two governments look after them. The Province looks after lakes and rivers. DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) looks after the sea, where the tide comes in. Each one sells its own licence, and one does not cover the other.

Fishing without the right licence can bring a fine.

Where a river meets the sea, it can be hard to tell which water you are on. Read the official pages before you cast there.

What to do

  1. Choose your water: salt water, fresh water, or both.

  2. Buy the freshwater licence online, or from a store that sells licences.

    Because the Province sells it, not DFO.

    Find a store that sells licences

  3. For salt water, buy a tidal licence from DFO online. Keep it on your phone or print it.

    Because DFO accepts the electronic licence when an officer asks to see it.

  4. If you want to keep a salmon, check if you need a salmon stamp too. Salt water and fresh water each have their own.

  5. Fishing with children? Read both official pages before you go.

    Because the rules for children are not the same in salt water and fresh water, and they can change.

Two doors, one for salt water marked DFO and one for fresh water marked the Province. Two waters, two licences. A salmon may need a stamp too. Salt water DFO stamp Fresh water the Province stamp
Two waters, two licences. A salmon may need a stamp too.

The official words

“may be presented for inspection upon request, instead of the traditional paper licence.”

Electronic licence and catch reporting, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Last checked against these five pages on . The DFO pages say they were last modified on , and . The Province pages say they were last updated on and .

Try it in Catchable

You can keep a photo of your licence in Catchable. It never leaves your phone.

Open the map

Why do you write licence? In Canada the noun is spelled licence. In the US it is license.