Elections have a habit of interrupting a perfectly normal life and it seems they have interrupted mine for the past month. This column is about getting our fishing and hunting plans on a program we can follow and enjoy for the coming regulatory year of April 1, 2011 through to March 31, 2012.
We are governed by four sets of regulations that are pictured at right.
Limited Entry Hunting Regulations Synopsis 2011-2012 One of the first notices you should pay attention to in this set of regulations is the closing date to have your application in Victoria. This year it is by 4:30 p.m. May 20, 2011 鈥� no exceptions. Changes to the regulations are highlighted in blue.
On page three there is a blue box informing us only winners of draws will be notified by mail. If you do not hear from them you can go online for results. If you are a sheep hunter note the special resident draw. As far as I can ascertain there are no other new draws for other species.
2011-2013 British Columbia Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide A particularly nice touch in the new regulations is a tribute to Tom Bird and Bill Otway, who contributed so much to our recreational fishing community.
For saltwater anglers this small booklet requires some serious study and not infrequently the information you are seeking will have the following note 鈥� "To be announced." Case in point: lingcod and rockfish opening in Strait of Georgia waters. To find when they open I went to as directed on page one of the guide.
Lingcod 鈥� Effective at 00:01 hours May 1, 2011 to 23:59 hours Sept. 30, 2011 fishing for lingcod will open in the following areas: all local areas including Area 14, daily limit one (1), size limit 65cm, annual limit 10.
Rockfish (rockfish and yelloweye in aggregate) 鈥� Same opening and closing dates as lingcod in local waters; no size limit or annual limit is in effect. Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCA's) remain in effect.
Oysters 鈥� The regulations encourage you to take your oysters home to shuck them if you want to take a daily limit of 15. The reason I point this out is because if you shuck them on the beach you may only take half a litre and 15 ordinary oysters will fill a litre. So much for encouraging us to shuck them on the beach and leave the shells where they belong.
I leave it to you to work out opening and closing times on salmon and much more.
If you flip the booklet over you will find the Freshwater Salmon Supplement. It too requires considerable study.
2011-2013 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis Vancouver Island has hundreds of lakes and streams. Managing freshwater fisheries in them is a challenge, to say nothing of the thousands of lakes and streams on the mainland. For in-season changes go to .
There is one important change that you should note if you fish streams for trout. In Region 1 you must release all wild trout and steelhead from streams. For anglers who fish beaver dams they are considered to be part of a stream, therefore beaver dam fishing is a catch-and-release fishery under current regulations unless you are catching marked fish. (Tough news for boys who fish beaver dams). Single barbless hooks must be used in all streams in Region 1, all year. There is also a bait ban on streams with some exceptions listed in the tables.
An important date to note in the regulations is in the coloured centre section, which advertises the Family Fishing Weekend (Father's Day Weekend) June 17-19 and this year honours the memory of Bill Otway. Check for details. I encourage you to always check the regulations for any freshwater destinations you may wish to fish. There are seven pages of exceptions to the Region regulations.
2010-2012 Hunting and Trapping Regulations and Synopsis We are currently in the second half of the two-year synopsis. Unless the unusual happens our Region 1 seasons should be unchanged. For important information on changes provincially go to , click on the RSS icon, and subscribe to the In-Season Regulation Changes feed. Note the white-tailed deer antlerless seasons.
Good luck with all your reading.
Ralph Shaw is a master fly fisherman who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984 for his conservation efforts. In 20 years of writing a column in the Comox Valley Record it has won several awards.
