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 2026-09-15. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.
Closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)
Seven closure areas are in effect. A closure overrides the area-wide limits wherever the two overlap.
- Ogden Point — closed to finfish, finfish - all other species, codfish, greenling, halibut, lingcod, sole or flounder, scallop - purple-hinged rock, scallop - pink and spiny, scallop - weathervane, crab - box, crab - dungeness, crab - red rock, crab - king, crab - puget sound king, barnacles - giant, octopus, sea cucumber, sea urchin, shrimp including prawn, sea star or starfish and shellfish - all other species (year round)
- Esquimalt Harbour — closed to finfish and shellfish (no end date given)
- Christmas Point — closed to finfish (Sep 1 – Nov 30)
- Whiskey Point — closed to finfish (Sep 15 – Nov 30)
- Coastwide — closed to eulachon (no end date given)
- 10 Mile Point Ecological Reserve — closed to shellfish (year round)
- Race Rocks — closed to shellfish (year round)
Salmon — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-1,19-3 and 19-4 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-2 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-5 to 19-11 | 62cm | 2 | Open |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19-12 | 62cm | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Chum salmon | 19 | 30cm | 2 | Open |
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| Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 19 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
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| Pink salmon | 19 | 30cm | 4 | Open |
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| Sockeye salmon | 19 | 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 | 19 | | 8 | Open |
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| Eulachon | 19 | | 0kg | Closed |
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| Finfish - all other species | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| Greenling | 19 | | 3 | Open |
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| Halibut | 19 | | 2 | Open |
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| Herring | 19 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Lingcod | 19 | 65cm | 1 | Open |
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| Mackerel | 19 | | 100 | Open |
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| Northern Anchovy | 19 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Pacific sand lance | 19 | | 5kg | Open |
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| Pacific sardine | 19 | | 100 | Open |
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| Rockfish - Yelloweye | 19 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sablefish | 19 | | 4 | Open |
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| Sculpin | 19 | | 8 | Open |
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| Shark - Basking | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Blue | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Brown Cat | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Great White | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Salmon | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Shark - Sixgill | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Tope | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - all other species | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Skate | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Smelt | 19 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Sole or Flounder | 19 | | 8 | Open |
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| Spiny Dogfish | 19 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Surfperch | 19 | | 8 | Open |
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| Tuna - Albacore | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - Pacific bluefin | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - all other species | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| White Sturgeon | 19 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Wolf Eel | 19 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Trout (hatchery and wild combined) | 19 | 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 |
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| Clam - Butter | 19 | | 20 | |
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| Clam - Horse | 19 | | 6 | |
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| Clam - Littleneck | 19 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Manila | 19 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Razor | 19 | | 12 | |
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| Clam - Softshell | 19 | | 25 | |
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| Clam - Varnish | 19 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - all species combined | 19 | | 60 | |
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| Cockles | 19 | | 25 | |
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| Geoduck | 19 | | 3 | |
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| Mussel - Blue | 19 | | 75 | |
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| Mussel - California | 19 | | 25 | |
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| Mussels - all species combined | 19 | | 75 | |
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| Oyster - Olympia | 19 | | 0 | |
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| Oyster - all species except Olympia | 19 | | 12 | |
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| Scallop - Pink and Spiny | 19 | | 75 | |
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| Scallop - Purple-hinged rock | 19 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane | 19 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined | 19 | | 6 | |
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| Snail - Moon | 19 | | 2 | |
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| Snail - other | 19 | | 75 | |
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| Whelks | 19 | | 75 | |
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Crab — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Crab - Box | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness | 19 | 165mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness and Red Rock combined | 19 | | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - King | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Crab - Puget Sound King | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Red Rock | 19 | 115mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Shore | 19 | | 25 | Open |
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| Crab - other | 19 | | 4 | Open |
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Other invertebrates — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Abalone | 19 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Barnacles - Giant | 19 | | 6 | Open |
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| Barnacles - Goose | 19 | | 2kg | Open |
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| Invertebrates - all other species | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| Limpet | 19 | | 75 | Open |
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| Octopus | 19 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sand Dollar | 19 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Cucumber | 19 | | 12 | Open |
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| Sea Star or Starfish | 19 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Urchin | 19 | | 12 | Open |
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| Shellfish - all other species | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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| Shrimp - Ghost | 19 | | 50 | Open |
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| Shrimp including prawn | 19-1 to 19-6 | | 125 | Open |
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| Shrimp including prawn | 19-7 to 19-12 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Squid - Opal | 19 | | 200 | Open |
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| Squid - all other species | 19 | | 20 | Open |
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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