Alberta Fishery Regulations, 1998

Contents

His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, pursuant to section 43 and subsection 79.7(5) of the Fisheries Act, hereby makes the annexed Alberta Fishery Regulations, 1998.^note^note

Interpretation

1 #

(1)The definitions in this subsection apply in these Regulations.

Act means the Fisheries Act. (Loi)

angling means fishing with hook and line. (pêche à la ligne)

bait means a substance that attracts fish by scent or flavour and includes a lure to which scent or flavouring has been added. (appât)

bait fish means a fish of a species set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1. (poisson-appât)

barbless hook includes a hook the barbs of which are pressed against the shaft of the hook so that the barbs are not functional. (hameçon sans ardillon)

Department means the Department of Sustainable Resource Development of the Province. (ministère)

dip net means a device consisting of a bag-like net that is mounted on a ring or frame with or without a pole or handle attached. (épuisette)

Director means the Director of Fisheries Management of the Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department. (directeur)

fish management zone or zone means an area set out in Schedule 2. (zone de gestion du poisson ou ZGP)

game fish means a fish of a species set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1. (poisson de sport)

gill net means a net by which fish are caught by being enmeshed but that does not enclose an area of water. (filet maillant)

hook means a single or multi-pointed hook on a common shaft and includes a hook that is attached to a lure. (hameçon)

hook size means the measurement between the shaft and the tip of a hook. (taille de l’hameçon)

Indian means an Indian within the terms of Paragraph 12 of the Memorandum of Agreement, known as the Alberta Natural Resources Transfer Agreement, being the agreement entered into between Canada and Alberta on December 14, 1929 and confirmed by the Constitution Act, 1930. (Indien)

length, in respect of a fish, means the distance measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail. (longueur)

lure means a spoon, plug, jig, fly or other such device made only of feathers, fibre, rubber, wood, metal, plastic or similar materials, and that does not attract fish by scent or flavour. (leurre)

maggots means the larvae of terrestrial dipterous insects but does not include earthworms (dew-worms, nightcrawlers) or the larvae, pupae or adults of aquatic invertebrates. (asticots)

mealworms means the larvae of terrestrial coleopterous insects but does not include maggots, wax worms, earthworms or the larvae, pupae or adults of aquatic invertebrates. (vers de farine)

mesh size, in respect of a net, means the distance between the diagonally opposite angles of a single mesh measured

(a)after the net has been immersed in water for at least 30 minutes; and

(b)with the mesh extended without straining the twine. (maillage)

order means an order issued under subsection 3(1) in relation to any waters to which these Regulations apply. (ordonnance)

Province means the Province of Alberta. (province)

provincial Act means the Fisheries (Alberta) Act, S.A. 1992, c. F-12.2. (loi provinciale)

provincial Minister means the Minister of the Government of the Province who is responsible for the administration of the provincial Act.(ministre provincial)

seine net means a net the ends of which are brought together or hauled ashore and includes a bar seine, beach seine, drag seine, purse seine or other similar type of net. (seine)

snagging means attempting to catch or catching a fish using a hook

(a)other than to induce the fish to voluntarily take the hook in its mouth; or

(b)by intentionally piercing and hooking a fish in any part of the body other than the mouth. (casaquer)

snagging device means

(a)an instrument that is designed for the purpose of snagging fish; or

(b)hooks or lures that are altered to facilitate the snagging of fish. (dispositif de casaque)

sportfishing means fishing by means of angling, bow and arrow, spear, dip net, seine net or minnow trap. It does not include fishing with those methods under the authority of a licence issued under subsection 13(3) or under any licence issued under the provincial Act other than a Sportfishing Licence. (pêche sportive)

trap net means a device that is designed to catch fish by leading the fish into an enclosure. (parc en filet)

tributary means a watercourse that flows into a body of water and includes a tributary to a tributary. (tributaire)

trout means a fish of a species set out in item 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 1. (truite)

watershed means the area drained by one stream system, the stream and all its tributaries, and includes the lakes and reservoirs within that area whether or not they are directly connected to the stream. (bassin versant)

watershed unit or unit means a subdivision of a fish management zone set out in Schedule 2. (unité de bassin versant ou unité)

(2)A reference in these Regulations to a species or group of species of fish by its common name as set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 1 shall be construed as a reference to the species or group of species of fish whose scientific name is set out in column 2 of that item.

(3)For the purposes of these Regulations, the boundary between two watersheds shall be the height of land that divides the two watersheds such that water on one side flows in one direction and water on the other side flows in a different direction.

(4)For the purposes of these Regulations, a fish is considered to be retained when it is not immediately returned to the waters from which it was taken.

(5)In these Regulations or any order, an alphanumeric reference used in the description of an area is a reference to an area of the Province established under Part 1 of the Surveys Act (Alberta), R.S.A. 1980, c. S-29.

Application

2 #

(1)Subject to subsection (2), these Regulations apply in the Province.

(2)These Regulations do not apply in respect of

(a)fishing in, or fish taken from, waters to which the National Parks Fishing Regulations apply;

(b)fishing in a fish culture facility; or

(c)fishing for, or the possession of, freshwater shrimp.

Part 1 · General Provisions

Variation of Close Times, Fishing Quotas and Limits

3 #

(1)If a close time, fishing quota or limit on the size or weight of fish is fixed in respect of an area under these Regulations, the Director may, by order, vary that close time, fishing quota or limit in respect of that area or any portion of it.

(2)If a close time, fishing quota or limit is varied under subsection (1), the Director shall give notice of the variation to the persons affected or likely to be affected by it, by one or more of the following methods:

(a)broadcasting the notice over a radio station that broadcasts in the area or vicinity of the area affected by the variation;

(b)communicating the notice by telephone to those persons;

(c)posting the notice in the area or in the vicinity of the area affected by the variation;

(d)having a fishery officer give oral notice of the variation to those persons;

(e)transmitting the notice via electronic means to those persons; or

(f)publishing the notice in

(i)a newspaper circulated in the vicinity of the area affected by the variation,

(ii)the Alberta Gazette,

(iii)the Guide to Sportfishing Regulations published on behalf of the Department, or

(iv)the Guide to Commercial Fishing Seasons published by the Department.

Waters Closed to All Fishing

4 #

Except as authorized by a Research Licence issued under the provincial Act, no person shall fish in the waters set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 3 during a close time set out in column 2 of that item.

Possession and Use of Live Fish

5 #

No person shall possess live fish unless the person

(a)is authorized to do so under the provincial Act; or

(b)is engaged in angling, caught the fish in the waters in which the person is angling, and the fish are within 5 m of those waters.

^note

6 #

No person shall place live fish in any waters other than the waters from which they were taken unless the person is authorized to do so by a licence issued under the provincial Act.

Release of Prohibited Fish

7 #

Every person who catches a fish the possession or retention of which is prohibited under these Regulations or the provincial Act shall immediately return that fish to the waters from which it was caught, and, if the fish is alive, release it in a manner that causes it the least harm.

Placing of Bait in Waters of the Province

8 #

No person shall place or cause to be placed in any waters bait of any kind unless it is attached to a hook.

Lights Prohibited

9 #

No person shall use any light while fishing other than a light that is attached to a hook or line used in angling.

Gear Prohibited

10 #

No person shall engage in fishing with a snare, a firearm, a gaff hook or any device that can be used to pass an electric current through water to attract, stun or kill fish, unless the method of fishing

(a)is authorized by a licence issued under the provincial Act; and

(b)does not adversely affect the conservation or protection of the fish in the fishery to which the permit applies.

Sale of Fish

11 #

No person shall buy, sell, trade, barter or offer to buy, sell, trade or barter any fish unless it was caught and retained under the authority of a licence in which the sale of fish is authorized and that is issued under the Act or the provincial Act.

Molest, Disturb or Remove Fish

12 #

No person shall molest or disturb fish or remove fish from a facility or structure that is

(a)erected by the Department, or under the authority of a research licence issued under the provincial Act, and that is used or designed to catch or hold fish; or

(b)designed to facilitate the passage of fish.

Part 2 · Authority to Fish

13 #

(1)No person shall fish except as authorized by

(a)the provincial Act;

(b)subsection (2); or

(c)a licence issued under subsection (3).

(2)Subject to section 18, an Indian may engage in sportfishing without a licence.

(3)The provincial Minister may issue a licence to an Indian to engage in fishing solely for the purpose of catching fish for food for their personal use or for the use of their immediate family.

(4)No fee shall be charged to issue a licence under subsection (3).

13.1 #

For the proper management and control of fisheries and the conservation and protection of fish, the provincial Minister may specify in a licence issued under subsection 13(3) any condition that is not inconsistent with these Regulations and in particular, but not restricting the generality of the foregoing, may specify conditions respecting any of the following matters:

(a)the species of fish and the quantities of fish that are permitted to be taken or transported;

(b)the age, sex, stage of development or size of fish that are permitted to be taken or transported;

(c)the waters in which fishing is permitted to be carried out;

(d)the location from which and to which fish is permitted to be transported;

(e)the person or persons who may conduct fishing operations under the licence;

(f)the period during which fishing or transporting fish is permitted to be carried out;

(g)the vessel that is permitted to be used for fishing and the persons who are permitted to operate it;

(h)the type, size and quantity of fishing gear and equipment that are permitted to be used and the manner in which they are permitted to be used;

(i)the specific location at which fishing gear is permitted to be set;

(j)the depth of water at which fishing is permitted;

(k)the range of the depth of water within which fishing gear may be deployed;

(l)the distance to be maintained between fishing gear;

(m)information to be reported by the holder of the licence to the Department before the start of a fishing trip with respect to where and when fishing will be carried out, including the means by which, the times at which and the person to whom the report is to be made;

(n)records that the licence holder shall keep of any fishing activity carried out under the licence including the manner and form in which the records are to be kept, the times at which and the person to whom the records are to be produced and the period during which the records are to be retained;

(o)the marking or tagging of fish for the purpose of identifying the source of the fish;

(p)the segregation of fish by species before and during transport;

(q)the period within which findings and data obtained as a result of fishing are to be forwarded to the Director;

(r)the species of fish, including fish of particular sizes, that must be released and the manner in which they are to be released; and

(s)the period during which the release of fish is permitted to be carried out.

^note

Part 3 · Sportfishing

Application

14 #

This Part applies only to sportfishing.

Close Times

15 #

No person shall sportfish in the waters set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 4 during a close time set out in column 2 of that item.

Catch Limits

16 #

(1)No person shall in any day catch and retain from the waters set out in column 2 of an item of Schedule 5 more fish of any species set out in column 1 of that item than the quota set out in column 3 of that item.

(2)No person shall catch and retain from the waters set out in column 2 of an item of Schedule 5 a fish of any species set out in column 1 of that item that is of a prohibited length as set out in column 4 of that item.

Possession Limits

17 #

(1)No person shall possess more fish of a species than the daily quota determined under subsection 16(1) for that species for the waters in which the person is fishing.

(2)No person shall at any time possess more fish of a species set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 6 than the quota set out in column 2 of that item.

18 #

No person shall possess a lake sturgeon unless authorized by a Sturgeon Fishing Licence issued under the provincial Act.

Angling Restrictions

19 #

No person shall angle using

(a)more than three hooks attached to a line;

(b)a hook with more than three points on a common shaft;

(c)a lure with more than three hooks as part of it;

(d)in open water, more than one line;

(e)in ice-covered water, more than two lines;

(f)a spring-loaded hook; or

(g)any fish as bait, other than dead bait fish, dead smelt, dead herring, dead shrimp, dead fish eggs or the skin, fins or eyes of game fish caught by angling.

^note

20 #

No person shall

(a)fish by snagging;

(b)possess fish taken by snagging;

(c)possess a snagging device; or

(d)possess a gaff hook while angling.

21 #

No person angling shall be more than 30 m from any line that the person has in the water.

22 #

No person shall angle through ice in

(a)any flowing waters in Fish Management Zone 1, except the portion of the Lobstick River lying in 53, 54-9, 10-W5; or

(b)any beaver pond.

23 #

No person shall fish with prohibited gear or bait set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 7 in waters set out in column 2 of that item during the close time set out in column 3 of that item.

Dip Net, Minnow Trap and Seine Net Restrictions

24 #

No person shall fish with a dip net, seine net or minnow trap

(a)for any fish other than bait fish or crayfish; or

(b)in any waters set out in column 2 of items 3 to 6 of Schedule 7 during the close times set out in column 3 of those items.

^note

25 #

(1)No person shall fish with a minnow trap unless

(a)it is visibly and legibly marked with the person’s name and address; or

(b)it does not exceed 60 m in length or 30 cm in width, depth or diameter.

(2)No person shall fish with more than two minnow traps.

26 #

No person shall fish with a seine net that exceeds 3 m in length or 2 m in depth.

Bow and Arrow Restrictions

27 #

(1)No person shall fish with a bow and arrow for Arctic grayling, trout, mountain whitefish, lake sturgeon, walleye or northern pike.

(2)No person shall fish with a crossbow.

Spear Restrictions

28 #

(1)No person shall fish with a spear except when swimming and unless the spear is propelled by a spring, an elastic, compressed gas or by hand.

(2)Despite subsection (1), no person shall fish with a spear for Arctic grayling, trout, mountain whitefish, lake sturgeon, walleye or northern pike.

Part 4 · Commercial Fishing

Application

29 #

This Part applies to any person engaged in fishing under the authority of a licence issued under the Act or the provincial Act that authorizes the holder of the licence to sell fish.

Restrictions

30 #

Except when sportfishing, no person shall fish for bait fish unless authorized by a Commercial Bait Fishing Licence issued under the provincial Act.

31 #

(1)No person shall fish in the waters set out in column 1 of an item of Part 1 or 2 of Schedule 8 during a close time set out in column 3 of that item using gear set out in column 2 of that item.

(2)If a close time for fishing with gill nets is varied under subsection 3(1) to permit fishing, the Director shall specify in the order that one or more of the gill net mesh size limits set out in the table to this subsection are permitted.Item | Permitted Mesh Size1 | 51 mm2 | not less than 51 mm3 | 63 mm4 | not less than 63 mm5 | 70 mm6 | not less than 70 mm7 | 76 mm8 | not less than 76 mm9 | 89 mm10 | not less than 89 mm11 | 102 mm12 | not less than 102 mm13 | not more than 102 mm14 | 114 mm15 | not less than 114 mm16 | 127 mm17 | not less than 127 mm18 | 140 mm19 | not less than 140 mm20 | 152 mm21 | not less than 152 mm22 | 159 mm23 | not less than 159 mm24 | 165 mm25 | not less than 165 mm26 | 178 mm27 | not less than 178 mm

32 #

If a mesh size limit is specified in an order referred to in subsection 31(2), no person fishing in waters to which the order applies shall use a gill net that has a mesh size other than that specified in the order for those waters.

Notification of Quota Taken

33 #

(1)If a fishery officer has determined that a fishing quota for a species of fish set out in column 4 of an item of Part 1 or 2 of Schedule 8, in the waters set out in column 1 of that item, with the gear set out in column 2 of that item, has been or is about to be taken, the fishery officer shall give notice that the quota has been taken.

(2)The notice referred to in subsection (1) shall be given to the persons affected or likely to be affected by the notice by one or more of the methods listed in subsection 3(2).

34 #

No person shall fish for any species of fish in any waters set out in a notice given under subsection 33(1) with the type of gear specified in the notice.

Part 5 · Ticketable Offences

Prescribed Offence

35 #

The contravention of a provision of these Regulations set out in column 1 of an item of Schedule 9 is an offence to which section 79.7 of the Act applies and that may be described in tickets in the manner set out in column 2 of that item.

Fines

36 #

If proceedings are commenced under section 79.7 of the Act, the amount of the fine for an offence described in column 2 of an item of Schedule 9 is the amount set out in column 3 of that item.

Repeal

37 #

[Repeal]

Coming into Force

38 #

These Regulations come into force on April 23, 1998.

Schedule 1 · Game Fish and Bait Fish (Section 1)

Schedule 2 · Fish Management Zones and Watershed Units (Section 1)

Fish Management Zone 1 - Eastern SlopesAll waters within the area described by the Watershed Units listed below:Unit ES1 — the Oldman River watershed upstream of Secondary Road 509 near Coalhurst, and the Bow River watershed upstream of Highway 24 near Carseland;Unit ES2 — the Red Deer River watershed upstream of the Dickson Dam west of Innisfail, and the North Saskatchewan River watershed upstream of Highway 22/39 near Drayton Valley;Unit ES3 — the Athabasca River watershed upstream of Secondary Road 658 near Whitecourt, and the Pembina River watershed upstream of Highway 43 near Sangudo; andUnit ES4 — the Smoky River watershed upstream of the 21st Base line.Fish Management Zone 2 - Parkland-PrairieAll waters within the area described by the Watershed Units listed below:Unit PP1 — the Milk River watershed, and the South Saskatchewan River watershed upstream to Secondary Road 509 on the Oldman River near Coalhurst, including the St. Mary River watershed, and upstream to Highway 24 on the Bow River near Carseland;Unit PP2 — the Red Deer River watershed upstream to the Dickson Dam west of Innisfail, and the Sounding Creek watershed, the Battle River watershed, the Eyehill Creek watershed, and the North Saskatchewan River watershed upstream to Highway 22/39 near Drayton Valley, excluding tributary watersheds entering on the left (north) bank between Highway 38 near Redwater and the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.Fish Management Zone 3 - Northern BorealAll waters within the area described by the Watershed Units listed below:Unit NB1 — the Athabasca River watershed between the north boundary of Township 78 and Secondary Road 813 near Athabasca, including the Calling River watershed, the La Biche River watershed, the Beaver River watershed, and the tributary watersheds entering on the left (north) bank of the North Saskatchewan River between Highway 38 near Redwater and the Alberta-Saskatchewan border;Unit NB2 — the Athabasca River watershed between Secondary Road 813 near Athabasca and Secondary Road 658 near Whitecourt, including the Lesser Slave River watershed and the Pembina River watershed upstream to Highway 43 near Sangudo;Unit NB3 — the Peace River watershed, including the Wabasca River, Birch River, Diog River, Hay River, Petitot River, Fontas River, Yates River, Whitesand River and Buffalo River watersheds; andUnit NB4 — the Athabasca River watershed downstream of the north boundary of Township 78, including the Clearwater River and Christina River watersheds and the Slave River and Lake Athabasca watersheds, and the lakes and streams north of Lake Athabasca.

Schedule 3 · (Section 4)

Schedule 4 · (Section 15)

Schedule 5 · (Section 16)

Schedule 6 · (Subsection 17(2))

Schedule 7 · (Sections 23 and 24)

Schedule 8 · Commercial Fishing Seasons and Quotas (Sections 31 and 33)

Schedule 9 · (Sections 35 and 36)

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3Item | Provision of Regulations | Description of Offence | Fine ($)1 | 4 | Fishing in closed waters | 2002 | 5-6 | Possessing live fish without authorization | 2003 | 7 | Failing to release unauthorised fish immediately or in a manner that causes least harm | 1004 | 8 | Placing in water bait not attached to a hook | 505 | 9 | Fishing with prohibited light | 1506 | 13 | Sportfishing without authorization | 1007 | 13 | Fishing, other than sportfishing, without authorization | 2508 | 15 | Sportfishing in closed waters | 2009 | 16 | Catching and retaining more than daily quota | 200, plus 50 for each fish in excess of the quota to a maximum of 10 fish10 | 17 | Exceeding possession limit | 200, plus 50 for each fish in excess of possession limit to a maximum of 10 fish11 | 19(a) | Angling with more than three hooks on a line | 5012 | 19(b) | Angling with a hook with more than three points on a common shaft | 5013 | 19(c) | Angling with a lure with more than three hooks as part of it | 5014 | 19(d) | Angling with more than one line in open water | 10015 | 19(e) | Angling with more than two lines in ice-covered water | 10016 | 19(f) | Angling with spring-loaded hook | 10017 | 19(g) | Angling using prohibited fish as bait | 20018 | 20(a) | Fishing by snagging | 20019 | 20(b) | Possessing fish taken by snagging | 20020 | 20(c) | Possessing a snagging device | 20021 | 20(d) | Possessing a gaff hook while angling | 20022 | 21 | Being more than 30 m from any line in water | 5023 | 22 | Angling through ice in specified waters | 20024 | 23 | Sportfishing with prohibited gear | 100 for the use of a hook, except a barbless hook. For all other offences of prohibited gear, 20025 | 23 | Sportfishing with prohibited bait | 20026 | 24 | Fishing with dip net for fish other than bait fish or crayfish | 20027 | 24 | Fishing with seine net for fish other than bait fish or crayfish | 20028 | 24 | Fishing with minnow trap for fish other than bait fish or crayfish | 20029 | 24 | Fishing with dip net in prohibited waters | 15030 | 24 | Fishing with seine net in prohibited waters | 15031 | 24 | Fishing with minnow trap in prohibited waters | 15032 | 25 | Fishing with improperly marked minnow trap | 10033 | 25 | Fishing with oversized minnow trap | 15034 | 25 | Fishing with more than two minnow traps | 15035 | 26 | Fishing with oversized seine net | 15036 | 27 | Fishing with bow and arrow for prohibited species | 15037 | 27 | Fishing with cross bow | 15038 | 28 | Fishing with spear using prohibited means of propulsion | 15039 | 28 | Fishing with spear while not swimming | 15040 | 28 | Fishing with spear for prohibited species | 150

Federal laws of Canada reproduced under the Reproduction of Federal Law Order (SI/97-5); not the official version. Source: Justice Laws Website.