DFO Area 23 Fishing Regulations & Limits

DFO Pacific Area 23 recreational fishing regulations

Current tidal-water recreational limits, sizes and closures for DFO Pacific Area 23 (Barkley Sound, Ucluelet), read from DFO’s own area page and refreshed daily. Last updated 2026-11-01. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.

Can you get out in Area 23?

Location	Today	Tomorrow
Barkley Sound	Marginal5 kt · 2.2 ft	Rough5 kt · 3.4 ft
Ucluelet	Rough7 kt · 6.8 ft	Rough8 kt · 8.5 ft
Bamfield tides	Rough5 kt · 4.6 ft	Rough5 kt · 6.2 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 (November 1, 2026)

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

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)
Coeur d'Alene Creek — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Effingham Inlet West — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Geer Islets — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Kookswiis (Sarita River) — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Maggie River — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Meade Islets — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Northeast Numukamis Bay — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Toquart River Flats — closed to clam - butter, clam - littleneck, clam - manila, clam - razor, clam - varnish, oyster - olympia and oyster - all species except olympia (year round)
Tidal Portion of Somass River and Portion of Alberni Harbour — closed to finfish (year round)
Coastwide — closed to eulachon (no end date given)

Salmon — area-wide limits

Species	Subareas	Min size	Daily	Status
Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	23,123	45cm	2	Open
Chum salmon	23	30cm	0	Non Retention
Chum salmon	123	30cm	4	Open
Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	23-1 to 23-3	30cm	4 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 4 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	23-4 to 23-11	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 1 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Coho salmon (hatchery and wild combined)	123	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open
Pink salmon	23	30cm	0	Non Retention
Pink salmon	123	30cm	4	Open
Sockeye salmon	23	30cm	4	Open
Sockeye salmon	123	30cm	0	Non Retention

Finfish other than salmon — area-wide limits

Species	Subareas	Min size	Daily	Status
Codfish	23,123		8	Open
Eulachon	23,123		0kg	Closed
Finfish - all other species	23,123		20	Open
Greenling	23,123		3	Open
Halibut	23,123		2	Open
Herring	23,123		20kg	Open
Lingcod	23,123	65cm	3	Open
Mackerel	23,123		100	Open
Northern Anchovy	23,123		20kg	Open
Pacific sand lance	23,123		5kg	Open
Pacific sardine	23,123		100	Open
Rockfish - Yelloweye	23,123		0	Non Retention
Rockfish - all species except Yelloweye	23,123		3	Open
Sablefish	23,123		4	Open
Sculpin	23,123		8	Open
Shark - Basking	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - Blue	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - Brown Cat	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - Great White	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - Salmon	23,123		1	Open
Shark - Sixgill	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - Tope	23,123		0	Closed
Shark - all other species	23,123		0	Closed
Skate	23,123		1	Open
Smelt	23,123		20kg	Open
Sole or Flounder	23,123		8	Open
Spiny Dogfish	23,123		0	Non Retention
Surfperch	23,123		8	Open
Tuna - Albacore	23,123		20	Open
Tuna - Pacific bluefin	23,123		20	Open
Tuna - all other species	23,123		20	Open
White Sturgeon	23,123		0	Non Retention
Wolf Eel	23,123		0	Non Retention
Trout (hatchery and wild combined)	23,123	30cm	2 Combined Total * Consisting of no more than: 2 - Hatchery - marked; 0 - Wild - unmarked	Open

Bivalve shellfish and snails — area-wide limits

Species	Subareas	Daily
Clam - Butter	23,123	20
Clam - Horse	23,123	6
Clam - Littleneck	23,123	60
Clam - Manila	23,123	60
Clam - Razor	23,123	12
Clam - Softshell	23,123	25
Clam - Varnish	23,123	60
Clam - all species combined	23,123	60
Cockles	23,123	25
Geoduck	23,123	3
Mussel - Blue	23,123	75
Mussel - California	23,123	25
Mussels - all species combined	23,123	75
Oyster - Olympia	23,123	0
Oyster - all species except Olympia	23,123	12
Scallop - Pink and Spiny	23,123	75
Scallop - Purple-hinged rock	23,123	6
Scallop - Weathervane	23,123	6
Scallop - Weathervane and Purple-hinged rock combined	23,123	6
Snail - Moon	23,123	2
Snail - other	23,123	75
Whelks	23,123	75

Crab — area-wide limits

Species	Subareas	Min size	Daily	Status
Crab - Box	23,123		1	Open
Crab - Dungeness	23,123	165mm	6	Open
Crab - Dungeness, Red Rock and King combined	23,123		6	Open
Crab - King	23,123		2	Open
Crab - Puget Sound King	23,123		1	Open
Crab - Red Rock	23,123	115mm	6	Open
Crab - Shore	23,123		25	Open
Crab - other	23,123		4	Open

Other invertebrates — area-wide limits

Species	Subareas	Daily	Status
Abalone	23,123	0	Closed
Barnacles - Giant	23,123	6	Open
Barnacles - Goose	23,123	2kg	Open
Invertebrates - all other species	23,123	20	Open
Limpet	23,123	75	Open
Octopus	23,123	1	Open
Sand Dollar	23,123	6	Open
Sea Cucumber	23,123	12	Open
Sea Star or Starfish	23,123	6	Open
Sea Urchin	23,123	12	Open
Shellfish - all other species	23,123	20	Open
Shrimp - Ghost	23,123	50	Open
Shrimp including prawn	23-1 to 23-3	0	Closed
Shrimp including prawn	23-4 to 23-11 and 123	125	Open
Squid - Opal	23,123	200	Open
Squid - all other species	23,123	20	Open

Source: DFO Pacific Area 23 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 23

All BC fishing areas and tide stations