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 2026-09-08. Openings change in-season and subarea boundaries are set by coordinates — always confirm on DFO before fishing.

Closures in effect today (September 16, 2026)

16 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)
Nahmint Bay — closed to finfish (Aug 1 – Sep 30)
Numukamis Bay — closed to finfish (Aug 1 – Sep 30)
Paper Mill Dam Pool Closure — closed to finfish (May 1 – Sep 30)
Tidal Portion of Somass River and Portion of Alberni Harbour — closed to finfish (year round)
Toquart Bay — closed to finfish (Aug 1 – Sep 30)
Uchucklesit Alberni Inlet — closed to finfish (Jun 30 – Oct 31)
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	2	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