Frequently Asked Questions 

  

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  Licencing and Regulation

 Who needs a licence to fish in BC?

If you are above the age of sixteen you are required to buy a licence to fish in BC.  Non –residence of Canada under the age of sixteen are required to fish with a valid licence holder.

Where can I buy a fishing licence and how much do they cost?

NEW ONLINE fishing license purchasing now available, follow the links to the E-Licensing area.  There are over 1000 angling licence vendors in BC.  For a complete list of vendors, visit the Ministry of Environment web site.   Angling fees are determined by the Ministry of Environment.

What are the freshwater fishing regulations for BC?

The freshwater fishing synopsis is available from the Ministry of Environment or at licence vendor locations.  The Ministry of Environment determines all fishing regulations and restrictions.

Fish Stocking Program

What lakes are stocked in BC?

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC stocks over 6 million trout, char and kokanee into nearly 1,000 lakes and streams annually.  For a complete listing of lakes stocked and to find out more about stocking in BC visit our Stocking Reports section or for more information on a specific lake try Fish Wizard.

Who decides what to stock and which lakes to stock? 

The Ministry of Environment provincial regional biologists manage the lakes and determine the stocking levels, types of fish and sizes to be released into BC's lakes.  The FFSBC works with these partners and provide the rearing and stocking activities to meet the management goals.

What species does the society stock?

The FFSBC currently stocks Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Char, Steelhead and Kokanee within the province. To find out more visit our Working with BC's Fish section.

want to stock your pond?  You must have a permit from the Ministry of Environment.  Click here for an  application for stocking fish into private ponds

What are the differences between the various strains of Rainbow trout?

We are currently working with eight strains of Rainbow Trout to meet the needs of the provincial stocking program.  Each strain have characteristics that make them more or less suitable for a particular stocking treatment.  Characteristics that can vary between strains include, feeding ecology, size and appearance and habitat preferences.  Factors that influence strain selection for a particular waterbody include the physical, biological and management parameters of the waterbody.  Appropriate strain selection will enhance angling opportunities, increase program efficiencies and minimize impacts to the natural environment.  To learn more about the various strains of Rainbow Trout stocked in BC click here.

What is a triploid? Why are they stocked?

Triploidization is a treatment applied to hatchery eggs shortly after fertilization that creates non-reproduction stocks of trout and char.  This process results in the creation of a third set of chromosomes (3N) instead of the usual two set (2N).  Triploid stocking can result in substantial benefit to angling opportunities including, increased size of fish and minimized impact with wild population.   To find out more about this treatment and other non-reproduction technologies visit our fish health and research section.

Lake Biology

What is turnover and When does it occur?

For most of the year, lake will stratify into layers.  This is due to the density of water at various temperatures. Water is most dense at 4C (39F). Warmer or cooler water is lighter.  During the late summer or early fall air temperatures cool the surface water.  The cooler (more dense) water fall and is replaced by lighter water at the surface.  This continues until the water temperatures throughout the water column is approximately 4C (39F). At this time wind action can cause the entire water column to mix creating “turnover”.  In the spring after ice-off the process is reversed.  As cool surface water is warmed by the spring air water falls in the column until the entire water column is 4C (39F).  Turnover can often be identified by turbid water conditions as debris from the bottom of the lake bed is mixed throughout the entire water column.  A lake in turnover can re-stratify in days to weeks depending on weather and lake conditions.

What is winterkill?

When ice covers a lakes surface, water can no longer obtain oxygen with air mixing. The combination of ice and snow on a lake result in limited sunlight penetration.  Vegetation in lakes produces oxygen through photosynthesis during the ice free portion of the year.  With light unable to penetrate the lake surface, photosynthesis stop and vegetation can begin to decompose.  Decomposition results in oxygen consumption.  Winterkill occurs when the result of these conditions deplete dissolved oxygen levels below threshold levels unable to support fish.

What is summerkill?

Depleted oxygen levels throughout the summer months can result in what is known as “summerkill”.   The process by which this takes occurs is much different from that of winterkill.  In general warmer water is able to hold less oxygen than cooler water.  Warmer summer water temperatures can also result in large algae blooms in productive lacks.  During daylight hours blue-green algae produce oxygen through photosynthesis, however at night they may revert to respiration, a process that consumes oxygen in the water.  During the right conditions this can lead to dissolved oxgyen levels depleted to levels that are incapable of supporting fish and "summerkill" occurs.  Also algae blooms can also be subject to large die-offs.  Decomposition of the algae is another process that consumes oxygen and again if dissolved oxygen levels in the lake fall below threshold levels to support fish, a kill can occur.