Recreational tidal-water limits, sizes and closures for Area 17 · Gabriola & Valdez Islands, Nanaimo · updated daily
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 2026-10-26. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.
| Location | Today | Tomorrow | Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriola & Valdez Islands | Marginal11 kt · 0.7 ft | Marginal11 kt · 0.9 ft | |
| Nanaimo | Good9 kt · 0.7 ft | Good9 kt · 1.0 ft |
Peak wind and biggest seas for the day: Good ≤10 kt & ≤2 ft, Rough ≥15 kt or ≥3 ft. Tap a location for the hourly Fishing Score, tides and best window. Save one and the site opens there next time.
Elsewhere in BC? Check which BC areas are calmest tomorrow or this weekend, or browse fishing by species.
Four closure areas are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limits wherever the two overlap.
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
| Chum salmon | 17 | 30cm | 4 | Open |
| Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 17 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
| Pink salmon | 17 | 30cm | 4 | Open |
| Sockeye salmon | 17 | 30cm | 0 | Non Retention |
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codfish | 17 | 8 | Open | |
| Eulachon | 17 | 0kg | Closed | |
| Finfish - all other species | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| Greenling | 17 | 3 | Open | |
| Halibut | 17 | 2 | Open | |
| Herring | 17 | 20kg | Open | |
| Lingcod | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Mackerel | 17 | 100 | Open | |
| Northern Anchovy | 17 | 20kg | Open | |
| Pacific sand lance | 17 | 5kg | Open | |
| Pacific sardine | 17 | 100 | Open | |
| Rockfish - Yelloweye | 17 | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Sablefish | 17 | 4 | Open | |
| Sculpin | 17 | 8 | Open | |
| Shark - Basking | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - Blue | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - Brown Cat | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - Great White | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - Salmon | 17 | 1 | Open | |
| Shark - Sixgill | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - Tope | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Shark - all other species | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Skate | 17 | 1 | Open | |
| Smelt | 17 | 20kg | Open | |
| Sole or Flounder | 17 | 8 | Open | |
| Spiny Dogfish | 17 | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Surfperch | 17 | 8 | Open | |
| Tuna - Albacore | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| Tuna - Pacific bluefin | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| Tuna - all other species | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| White Sturgeon | 17 | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Wolf Eel | 17 | 0 | Non Retention | |
| Trout (hatchery and wild combined) | 17 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clam - Butter | 17 | 20 | ||
| Clam - Horse | 17 | 6 | ||
| Clam - Littleneck | 17 | 60 | ||
| Clam - Manila | 17 | 60 | ||
| Clam - Razor | 17 | 12 | ||
| Clam - Softshell | 17 | 25 | ||
| Clam - Varnish | 17 | 60 | ||
| Clam - all species combined | 17 | 60 | ||
| Cockles | 17 | 25 | ||
| Geoduck | 17 | 3 | ||
| Mussel - Blue | 17 | 75 | ||
| Mussel - California | 17 | 25 | ||
| Mussels - all species combined | 17 | 75 | ||
| Oyster - Olympia | 17 | 0 | ||
| Oyster - all species except Olympia | 17 | 12 | ||
| Scallop - Pink and Spiny | 17 | 75 | ||
| Scallop - Purple-hinged rock | 17 | 6 | ||
| Scallop - Weathervane | 17 | 6 | ||
| Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined | 17 | 6 | ||
| Snail - Moon | 17 | 2 | ||
| Snail - other | 17 | 75 | ||
| Whelks | 17 | 75 |
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crab - Box | 17 | 1 | Open | |
| Crab - Dungeness | 17 | 165mm | 4 | Open |
| Crab - Dungeness and Red Rock combined | 17 | 4 | Open | |
| Crab - King | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Crab - Puget Sound King | 17 | 1 | Open | |
| Crab - Red Rock | 17 | 115mm | 4 | Open |
| Crab - Shore | 17 | 25 | Open | |
| Crab - other | 17 | 4 | Open |
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abalone | 17 | 0 | Closed | |
| Barnacles - Giant | 17 | 6 | Open | |
| Barnacles - Goose | 17 | 2kg | Open | |
| Invertebrates - all other species | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| Limpet | 17 | 75 | Open | |
| Octopus | 17 | 1 | Open | |
| Sand Dollar | 17 | 6 | Open | |
| Sea Cucumber | 17 | 12 | Open | |
| Sea Star or Starfish | 17 | 6 | Open | |
| Sea Urchin | 17 | 12 | Open | |
| Shellfish - all other species | 17 | 20 | Open | |
| Shrimp - Ghost | 17 | 50 | Open | |
| Shrimp including prawn | 17 | 125 | Open | |
| Squid - Opal | 17 | 200 | Open | |
| Squid - all other species | 17 | 20 | Open |
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.