DFO Pacific Area 19 recreational fishing regulations

Current tidal-water recreational limits, sizes and closures for DFO Pacific Area 19 (Victoria Harbour, Discovery Island to D'Arcy Island), read from DFO’s own area page and refreshed daily. Last updated 2026-10-20. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.

Can you get out in Area 19?

LocationTodayTomorrowSave
Victoria HarbourGood5 kt · 0.8 ftGood3 kt · 0.5 ft
Discovery Island to D'Arcy IslandGood8 kt · 0.9 ftGood7 kt · 0.4 ft
Sidney tidesGood8 kt · 0.5 ftGood7 kt · 0.5 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.

Closures in effect today (October 31, 2026)

Seven closure areas are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limits wherever the two overlap.

Salmon — area-wide limits

SpeciesSubareasMin sizeDailyStatus
Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined)19-1,19-3 and 19-445cm2Open
Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined)19-20Closed
Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined)19-5 to 19-1162cm2Open
Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined)19-1262cm0Non Retention
Chum salmon1930cm4Open
Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)1930cm2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarkedOpen
Pink salmon1930cm4Open
Sockeye salmon1930cm0Non Retention

Finfish other than salmon — area-wide limits

SpeciesSubareasMin sizeDailyStatus
Codfish198Open
Eulachon190kgClosed
Finfish - all other species1920Open
Greenling193Open
Halibut192Open
Herring1920kgOpen
Lingcod190Closed
Mackerel19100Open
Northern Anchovy1920kgOpen
Pacific sand lance195kgOpen
Pacific sardine19100Open
Rockfish - Yelloweye190Non Retention
Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye190Closed
Sablefish194Open
Sculpin198Open
Shark - Basking190Closed
Shark - Blue190Closed
Shark - Brown Cat190Closed
Shark - Great White190Closed
Shark - Salmon191Open
Shark - Sixgill190Closed
Shark - Tope190Closed
Shark - all other species190Closed
Skate191Open
Smelt1920kgOpen
Sole or Flounder198Open
Spiny Dogfish190Non Retention
Surfperch198Open
Tuna - Albacore1920Open
Tuna - Pacific bluefin1920Open
Tuna - all other species1920Open
White Sturgeon190Non Retention
Wolf Eel190Non Retention
Trout (hatchery and wild combined)1930cm2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarkedOpen

Bivalve shellfish and snails — area-wide limits

SpeciesSubareasMin sizeDailyStatus
Clam - Butter1920
Clam - Horse196
Clam - Littleneck1960
Clam - Manila1960
Clam - Razor1912
Clam - Softshell1925
Clam - Varnish1960
Clam - all species combined1960
Cockles1925
Geoduck193
Mussel - Blue1975
Mussel - California1925
Mussels - all species combined1975
Oyster - Olympia190
Oyster - all species except Olympia1912
Scallop - Pink and Spiny1975
Scallop - Purple-hinged rock196
Scallop - Weathervane196
Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined196
Snail - Moon192
Snail - other1975
Whelks1975

Crab — area-wide limits

SpeciesSubareasMin sizeDailyStatus
Crab - Box191Open
Crab - Dungeness19165mm4Open
Crab - Dungeness and Red Rock combined194Open
Crab - King190Closed
Crab - Puget Sound King191Open
Crab - Red Rock19115mm4Open
Crab - Shore1925Open
Crab - other194Open

Other invertebrates — area-wide limits

SpeciesSubareasMin sizeDailyStatus
Abalone190Closed
Barnacles - Giant196Open
Barnacles - Goose192kgOpen
Invertebrates - all other species1920Open
Limpet1975Open
Octopus191Open
Sand Dollar196Open
Sea Cucumber1912Open
Sea Star or Starfish196Open
Sea Urchin1912Open
Shellfish - all other species1920Open
Shrimp - Ghost1950Open
Shrimp including prawn19125Open
Squid - Opal19200Open
Squid - all other species1920Open

Source: DFO Pacific Area 19 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 19

All BC fishing areas and tide stations