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Identify your catch

Pacific salmon and trout

Sourced from DFO Pacific region

 

Pacific salmon

Chinook salmon

Chum salmon

Coho salmon

Pink salmon

Sockeye salmon

Features of Pacific salmon

Species	Mouth	Tail	Other distinguishing features	Age at maturity	Freshwater markings
Chinook	Dark with black gums; large, sharp teeth	V-shaped, silvery; spots on both lobes	Large spots on back	3 to 7 years	Body turns olive brown to black
Chum	White, tongue may be black; large teeth	No spots, silver streaks covering about half of tail; narrow tail base	No spots on back or tail; possible faint vertical bars on silver fish; white tip on anal fin	3 to 5 years	Vertical bands on sides, may be reddish purple on male
Coho	White, may have black edge, white gums; sharp, medium sized teeth	Square, silver; some spots, usually on upper lobe; wide tail base	Spots on upper part of body	3 years	Greenish black head, red body
Pink salmon	White with black gums; in marine areas, almost no teeth	V-shaped, no silver; large oval spots on both lobes	Large spots on back; smallest species	2 years	Pronounced hump on male
Sockeye salmon	White with white gum line; small teeth	Moderately forked; no spots	No spots on back or tail; prominent, glassy eyes	4 to 5 years	Greenish head, red body

Atlantic salmon

Report all captures of Atlantic salmon to: 1-800-811-6010 (toll-free).

Trout

Species	Identifying features
Cutthroat	Large mouth extends well past eye Teeth in throat, at back of tongue Many spots from front to back
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)	Slender lateral profile Small black spots on back, uniform spots on square tail No teeth in throat, at back of tongue
Trout – Dolly Varden	Small head Oval, snakelike body White leading edges on lower fins

Pacific Saltwater finfish

Big Skate (Raja binoculata)	Up to 240 cm Body olive-brown to grey Blind side is white Dark eye spots on wings 5 gill slits Dorsal spines start above the tail
English Sole (Parophrys vetulus)	Up to 57 cm Body light brown Blind side white to yellow Body smooth and diamond shaped Head & jaw pointed Right-eyed
Herring (Clupea)	Found in shallow regions or in midwater over greater depths. Found in huge schools Average length: 25 cm Silvery with blue-green back, large scales. Toothless
Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus)	Up to 61 cm Male body brown to olive with blue spots Female body light brown to golden-blue with large brown to orange spots 5 lateral lines on each side
Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus)	Up to 150 cm Body mottled brown to grey fading to white on belly Head, mouth & teeth are all large Appears to have 1 dorsal fin No barbel under chin
Mackerel (Scombridae)	Fairly abundant off west coast of Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert Harbour Chub or Pacific mackerel: Average size: 45 cm but can reach 60 cm. Streamlined spindle shape. Two dorsal fins and five small finlets between second dorsal and tail Jack mackerel: Bigger than Pacific mackerel, reaching 80 cm. Only one finlet following second dorsal fin
Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax)	The northern anchovy is easily recognized by its extremely long upper jaw. The fish is elongated, blue-green on the back with silver sides and belly. Northern anchovies reach about 25 cm in length and have a life span of about 7 years.
Western Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus)	Up 120 cm Body mottled grey to brown fading to white on belly 3 dorsal fins 2 anal fins Barbel under chin
West Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)	Up to 270 cm Body marbled brown with grey Blind side white Body thick and sturdy Mouth large with sharp conical teeth Caudal fin slightly forked Almost always right-eyed
Canadian Pacific Sanddab (Citharichthys sordidus)	Up to 41 cm Body brown to tan mottled Blind side white to tan Caudal fin rounded Eyes and mouth are large Left-eyed
Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax)	Found in large schools, feeding on plankton Average length: 30 cm Small, silvery fish of herring family
Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei)	Up to 100 cm Body grey-brown with white spots with olive belly Tail is long and tapering Watch out for a poisonous spine at the front of the dorsal fin
Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria)	Up to 107 cm Body black to grey Scales small 2 dorsal fins 1 anal fin Forehead flat Caudal fin forked No barbel under chin
Sculpin (Cottoidea)	Cabezon: Found in northern B.C., often in kelp beds from shallow to moderate depths. Weight: up to 11 kg. Pacific staghorn sculpin: Found in shallow waters along Pacific coast. Average length: 46 cm Large eyes high on head. Pectoral fins smooth on upper edge, webbed with sharp rays along lower edge
Smelt (Osmeridae)	Found inshore. Spawn on beaches and in estuaries Average length: 15 cm Small, schooling, silvery fish
Sole/Flounder (Soleidae)	Found in deep waters in areas with gravel/mud bottoms Average length/weight (of English sole): 36 cm, 1.5 kg Oval or diamond-shaped. Both eyes on dark-coloured side of head, other side white and eyeless
Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias)	Surface swimmer, found throughout B.C. Average length/weight: 75-105 cm, 10 kg. Dark grey/brown on back, light-coloured belly. may have irregular white spots on back. Dorsal fins preceded by spines
Surfperch (Embiotocidae)	Found in shallow inshore waters Length: up to 45 cm Compressed, deep body with large eyes and small mouth. Varieties have different markings. Striped seaperch: Blue and gold stripes. Pile perch: Silvery with black vertical bars
Cutthroat	Large mouth extends well past eye Teeth in throat, at back of tongue Many spots from front to back
Dolly Varden	Small head Oval, snakelike body White leading edges on lower fins
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus   mykiss)	Slender lateral profile Small black spots on back, uniform spots on square tail No teeth in throat, at back of tongue
Tuna (Thunnas)	Albacore tuna are a hefty fish with a fairly short body that becomes quite narrow near their tail, which is quite slender. They have two dorsal fins, the first of which is dark and the second pale yellow. Albacore tuna have dark blue backs and a whitish underside with a faint blue iridescent line running across their flanks. Albacore tuna are distinguished from similar species by their very long pectoral fins. They can grow to well over a metre in length and weigh more than 50 kilograms.

• Sturgeon

• Shellfish

• Pacific region recreational fishing common species

Gear in tidal waters

• Barbless hooks are required for all salmon and sea-run trout fishing. Treble barbless hooks are acceptable in most areas; however, single barbless hooks are required in many tidal areas of coastal rivers and in areas requiring special management measures.

If you pinch a barbed hook, the barb must be crimped flat against the shaft. Partially crimped barbs are not allowed.

• In tidal waters, there’s no limit to the number of fishing rods you can use. In rivers and streams, including the tidal waters of the Fraser River, there’s a limit of one rod per angler.

1. It is illegal to angle with a fishing line that has more than one hook, artificial lure or artificial fly attached except:
2. in the tidal waters of the Fraser River, where you can attach two hooks, artificial lures or artificial flies, to a bar rig in tidal waters, where you can attach any number of hooks to a fishing line if using the hooks in combination to hold a single piece of bait and if they’re not arranged so as to catch more than one fish. This does not apply in areas restricted to the use of only one single barbless hook.
3. It is illegal to fish with a fixed weight (sinker) greater than 1 kg except on a downrigger line, in which case the fishing line must be attached to the downrigger by a release clip.
4. It is illegal to sport fish with nets, including dip nets, minnow nets, gillnets or cast nets