Mayne & Saturna Islands salmon fishing

Mayne & Saturna Islands sits in DFO Pacific Area 18 on the Gulf Islands coast. This page covers when salmon run here and the recreational salmon limits and closures in effect. For live wind, waves, tides and an hourly fishing score, see the Mayne & Saturna Islands forecast.

When salmon run at Mayne & Saturna Islands

Chinook use these passes as a migration route, and the area holds fish through much of the year including resident winter chinook. Coho move through later in the season. The heavy tidal flow concentrates bait against the points and in the back-eddies, which is the reason the fishing here is tied so tightly to current stage.

Salmon limits for Area 18 (as of September 16, 2026)

chinook 2 per day in 18-1 to 18-7 and 18-9 to 18-11, non retention in 18-8; chum 2 per day; coho 2 per day; pink 4 per day; sockeye non retention.

Five salmon closure areas are in effect today, including Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Recreational Salmon Fishing Closure, Cowichan Bay and Outer Cowichan Bay and others. A closure overrides the area-wide limit where they overlap.

See the full Area 18 regulations for the complete limits tables and subarea boundaries. Openings change in-season - always confirm on DFO before fishing.

Salmon species

Plan a trip to Mayne & Saturna Islands

The full Mayne & Saturna Islands guide covers the setting, hazards and how the water behaves, with the live forecast and fishing score. See which areas are calmest tomorrow or this weekend, or browse fishing by species and all BC locations.