DFO Pacific Area 17 recreational fishing regulations
Current tidal-water recreational limits, sizes and closures for DFO Pacific Area 17 (Gabriola & Valdez Islands, Nanaimo), read from DFO’s own area page and refreshed daily. Last updated 2026-09-14. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.
Closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)
Five closure areas are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limits wherever the two overlap.
- Neck Point and Horswell Bluff — closed to clam - butter, clam - horse, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, cockles, geoduck, mussel - blue, mussel - california, oyster - olympia, oyster - all species except olympia, scallop - purple-hinged rock, scallop - pink and spiny and scallop - weathervane (year round)
- Chemainus River — closed to finfish (Jul 15 – Oct 31)
- Departure Bay Finfish Closure — closed to finfish (Aug 4 – Oct 25)
- Nanaimo Harbour Finfish Closure — closed to finfish (Jul 15 – Oct 25)
- Coastwide — closed to eulachon (no end date given)
Salmon — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17-1 to 17-4,17-8,17-10 to 17-12 and 17-21 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17-5 to 17-7,17-9 and 17-13 to 17-20 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Chum salmon | 17 | 30cm | 2 | Open |
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| Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
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| Pink salmon | 17 | 30cm | 4 | Open |
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| Sockeye salmon | 17 | 30cm | 0 | Non Retention |
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Finfish other than salmon — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Codfish | 17 | | 8 | Open |
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| Eulachon | 17 | | 0kg | Closed |
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| Finfish - all other species | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| Greenling | 17 | | 3 | Open |
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| Halibut | 17 | | 2 | Open |
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| Herring | 17 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Lingcod | 17 | 65cm | 1 | Open |
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| Mackerel | 17 | | 100 | Open |
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| Northern Anchovy | 17 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Pacific sand lance | 17 | | 5kg | Open |
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| Pacific sardine | 17 | | 100 | Open |
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| Rockfish - Yelloweye | 17 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sablefish | 17 | | 4 | Open |
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| Sculpin | 17 | | 8 | Open |
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| Shark - Basking | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Blue | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Brown Cat | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Great White | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Salmon | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Shark - Sixgill | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Tope | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - all other species | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Skate | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Smelt | 17 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Sole or Flounder | 17 | | 8 | Open |
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| Spiny Dogfish | 17 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Surfperch | 17 | | 8 | Open |
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| Tuna - Albacore | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - Pacific bluefin | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - all other species | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| White Sturgeon | 17 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Wolf Eel | 17 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Trout (hatchery and wild combined) | 17 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
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Bivalve shellfish and snails — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|
| Clam - Butter | 17 | | 20 | |
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| Clam - Horse | 17 | | 6 | |
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| Clam - Littleneck | 17 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Manila | 17 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Razor | 17 | | 12 | |
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| Clam - Softshell | 17 | | 25 | |
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| Clam - Varnish | 17 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - all species combined | 17 | | 60 | |
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| Cockles | 17 | | 25 | |
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| Geoduck | 17 | | 3 | |
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| Mussel - Blue | 17 | | 75 | |
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| Mussel - California | 17 | | 25 | |
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| Mussels - all species combined | 17 | | 75 | |
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| Oyster - Olympia | 17 | | 0 | |
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| Oyster - all species except Olympia | 17 | | 12 | |
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| Scallop - Pink and Spiny | 17 | | 75 | |
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| Scallop - Purple-hinged rock | 17 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane | 17 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined | 17 | | 6 | |
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| Snail - Moon | 17 | | 2 | |
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| Snail - other | 17 | | 75 | |
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| Whelks | 17 | | 75 | |
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Crab — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|
| Crab - Box | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness | 17 | 165mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness and Red Rock combined | 17 | | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - King | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Crab - Puget Sound King | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Red Rock | 17 | 115mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Shore | 17 | | 25 | Open |
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| Crab - other | 17 | | 4 | Open |
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Other invertebrates — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Abalone | 17 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Barnacles - Giant | 17 | | 6 | Open |
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| Barnacles - Goose | 17 | | 2kg | Open |
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| Invertebrates - all other species | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| Limpet | 17 | | 75 | Open |
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| Octopus | 17 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sand Dollar | 17 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Cucumber | 17 | | 12 | Open |
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| Sea Star or Starfish | 17 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Urchin | 17 | | 12 | Open |
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| Shellfish - all other species | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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| Shrimp - Ghost | 17 | | 50 | Open |
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| Shrimp including prawn | 17-1 to 17-4,17-7,17-8 and 17-10 to 17-21 | | 125 | Open |
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| Shrimp including prawn | 17-5,17-6 and 17-9 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Squid - Opal | 17 | | 200 | Open |
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| Squid - all other species | 17 | | 20 | Open |
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Source: DFO Pacific Area 17 recreational fishing. Check the Fishery Notices for changes newer than the update date. This page is a reading of DFO’s page, not a substitute for it, and does not reproduce the coordinate-defined subarea boundaries.
Fishing areas in Area 17
All BC fishing areas and tide stations