DFO Pacific Area 20 recreational fishing regulations
Current tidal-water recreational limits, sizes and closures for DFO Pacific Area 20 (Juan de Fuca Strait, Sooke to Otter Point, Otter Point to Secretary Island), read from DFO’s own area page and refreshed daily. Last updated 2026-09-05. 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.
- Juan de Fuca Strait Salmon Closure — closed to chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye (Aug 1 – Oct 31)
- Swiftsure Bank Salmon Closure — closed to chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye (Jul 15 – Oct 31)
- Pacific Rim National Park — closed to 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)
- San Juan River mouth — closed to finfish - all other species, codfish, greenling, halibut, lingcod and sole or flounder (Sep 1 – Oct 31)
- Coastwide — closed to eulachon (no end date given)
- Botanical Beach — 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) | 20-1 to 20-5 | 45cm | 2 | Open |
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| Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 20-6 and 20-7 | 45cm | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Chum salmon | 20 | 30cm | 2 | Open |
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| Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 20-1 and 20-3 to 20-7 | 30cm | 2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
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| Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined) | 20-2 | 30cm | 4 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 4 - Hatchery - marked; 2 - Wild - unmarked | Open |
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| Pink salmon | 20 | 30cm | 4 | Open |
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| Sockeye salmon | 20 | 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 | 20 | | 8 | Open |
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| Eulachon | 20 | | 0kg | Closed |
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| Finfish - all other species | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| Greenling | 20 | | 3 | Open |
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| Halibut | 20 | | 2 | Open |
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| Herring | 20 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Lingcod | 20-1 to 20-4 | 65cm | 3 | Open |
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| Lingcod | 20-5 to 20-7 | 65cm | 1 | Open |
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| Mackerel | 20 | | 100 | Open |
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| Northern Anchovy | 20 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Pacific sand lance | 20 | | 5kg | Open |
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| Pacific sardine | 20 | | 100 | Open |
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| Rockfish - Yelloweye | 20 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye | 20-1 to 20-4 | | 3 | Open |
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| Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye | 20-5 to 20-7 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sablefish | 20 | | 4 | Open |
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| Sculpin | 20 | | 8 | Open |
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| Shark - Basking | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Blue | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Brown Cat | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Great White | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Salmon | 20 | | 1 | Open |
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| Shark - Sixgill | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - Tope | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Shark - all other species | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Skate | 20 | | 1 | Open |
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| Smelt | 20 | | 20kg | Open |
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| Sole or Flounder | 20 | | 8 | Open |
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| Spiny Dogfish | 20 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Surfperch | 20 | | 8 | Open |
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| Tuna - Albacore | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - Pacific bluefin | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| Tuna - all other species | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| White Sturgeon | 20 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Wolf Eel | 20 | | 0 | Non Retention |
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| Trout (hatchery and wild combined) | 20 | 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 | 20 | | 20 | |
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| Clam - Horse | 20 | | 6 | |
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| Clam - Littleneck | 20 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Manila | 20 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - Razor | 20 | | 12 | |
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| Clam - Softshell | 20 | | 25 | |
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| Clam - Varnish | 20 | | 60 | |
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| Clam - all species combined | 20 | | 60 | |
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| Cockles | 20 | | 25 | |
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| Geoduck | 20 | | 3 | |
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| Mussel - Blue | 20 | | 75 | |
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| Mussel - California | 20 | | 25 | |
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| Mussels - all species combined | 20 | | 75 | |
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| Oyster - Olympia | 20 | | 0 | |
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| Oyster - all species except Olympia | 20 | | 12 | |
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| Scallop - Pink and Spiny | 20 | | 75 | |
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| Scallop - Purple-hinged rock | 20 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane | 20 | | 6 | |
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| Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined | 20 | | 6 | |
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| Snail - Moon | 20 | | 2 | |
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| Snail - other | 20 | | 75 | |
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| Whelks | 20 | | 75 | |
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Crab — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Crab - Box | 20 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness | 20 | 165mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Dungeness and Red Rock combined | 20 | | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - King | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Crab - Puget Sound King | 20 | | 1 | Open |
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| Crab - Red Rock | 20 | 115mm | 4 | Open |
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| Crab - Shore | 20 | | 25 | Open |
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| Crab - other | 20 | | 4 | Open |
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Other invertebrates — area-wide limits
| Species | Subareas | Min size | Daily | Status |
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| Abalone | 20 | | 0 | Closed |
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| Barnacles - Giant | 20 | | 6 | Open |
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| Barnacles - Goose | 20 | | 2kg | Open |
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| Invertebrates - all other species | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| Limpet | 20 | | 75 | Open |
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| Octopus | 20 | | 1 | Open |
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| Sand Dollar | 20 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Cucumber | 20 | | 12 | Open |
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| Sea Star or Starfish | 20 | | 6 | Open |
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| Sea Urchin | 20 | | 12 | Open |
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| Shellfish - all other species | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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| Shrimp - Ghost | 20 | | 50 | Open |
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| Shrimp including prawn | 20 | | 125 | Open |
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| Squid - Opal | 20 | | 200 | Open |
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| Squid - all other species | 20 | | 20 | Open |
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Source: DFO Pacific Area 20 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 20
All BC fishing areas and tide stations