Manitoba Fishery Regulations, 1987 (SOR/87-509)

• 24 (1) No person shall, unless the fish is being prepared for immediate consumption, possess any fish caught by recreational fishing that are dressed, packed or cut in such a manner that

  • (a) the species of fish cannot readily be identified;

  • (b) the number of fish cannot readily be counted; or

  • (c) where size limits are applicable, the size of the fish cannot readily be determined.

• (2) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(a), the species of fish that has been filleted can be readily identified if an area of skin of at least 6 cm² remains attached to each fillet.

Angling

• 25 (1) No person shall while angling

  • (a) in open water use more than a single line, or rod and line;

  • (b) in ice-covered water use more than two lines;

  • (c) have more than two hooks attached to a line;

  • (d) use any hook that is spring-loaded;

  • (e) use for bait

    • (i) any fish other than yellow perch, goldeye or mooneye caught by recreational fishing, baitfish or previously frozen smelt, or

    • (ii) the offal of any fish of a species set out, in respect of Manitoba, in Part 2 of the schedule to the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations; or

  • (f) use any hook other than a barbless hook.

• (2) No person who is engaged in recreational fishing shall possess a hook that is attached to the end of a fishing line if the hook is not a barbless hook.

• (3) [Repealed, SOR/93-39, s. 4]

26 Every person shall

• (a) when angling in open water, keep the person’s line within sight; and

• (b) when angling in ice-covered water, stay within 50 m of any line being used by that person.

27 [Repealed, SOR/98-247, s. 11]

28 No person shall use natural bait while angling in

• (a) Corstophine Lake (50°35′ N., 100°12′ W.) 7.5 km northwest of the town of Sandy Lake;

• (b) McHugh Lake (49°43′ N., 95°12′ W.);

• (c) Patterson Lake (50°38′ N., 100°34′ W.) 6.5 km north of Oakburn;

• (c.1) Persse Lake (51°33′ N., 101°25′ W.) 44 km north of Roblin;

• (d) Pybus Lake (50°30′ N., 100°11′ W.) 3.5 km southwest of the town of Sandy Lake;

• (e) Twin Lakes (51°33′ N., 101°27′ W.) West of Duck Mountain Provincial Forest;

• (f) West Goose Lake (51°13′ N., 101°21′ W.) Town of Roblin; or

• (g) West Watjask Lake (51°39′ N., 101°27′ W.).

• 29 (1) Where, pursuant to subsection 4(1), the provincial Minister or the Director varies a close time set out in Column IV of an item of Schedule X to permit angling, the provincial Minister or the Director may specify in the notice referred to in subsection 4(2) one or more of the angling gear restrictions set out in the table to this subsection.

  	Angling Gear Restrictions
  1	Only barbless hooks allowed
  2	No natural bait allowed
  3	Only artificial flies allowed
  4	Only single-pointed hooks allowed
  5	Only multiple-pointed hooks allowed

• (2) Where one or more angling gear restrictions are specified by the provincial Minister or the Director pursuant to subsection (1), no person shall, in the waters to which the notice applies, angle in contravention of any of the angling gear restrictions specified in the notice.

Spearfishing

30 No person shall engage in spearfishing unless they are swimming and using a barbed spear.

• 31 (1) No person shall, by spearfishing, fish for or catch and retain any fish of a species set out in Part I of Schedule XIII.

• (2) No person engaged in spearfishing while using scuba gear shall fish for or catch and retain any species of fish set out in Part II of Schedule XIII.

Bow Fishing

32 No person shall engage in bow fishing

• (a) for fish other than carp or suckers;

• (b) except with a fish arrow attached to a line of at least 20 kg test strength;

• (c) [Repealed, SOR/90-302, s. 9]

• (d) in the Red River from the dam at Lockport to a point 1 km downstream; or

• (e) in the Saskatchewan River from the Grand Rapids Generating Station to a point 1 km downstream.

Dip Netting, Cast Netting, Seine Netting and Minnow Trapping

• 33 (1) Subject to subsections (1.1) and (2), no person engaged in recreational fishing shall use a dip net, cast net, seine net or minnow trap to fish for any species of fish except bait fish or common carp.

• (1.1) Subject to subsection (2), no person engaged in recreational fishing shall use a dip net, cast net, seine net or minnow trap to fish for any species of fish in

  • (a) the Saskatchewan River from the Grand Rapids Generating Station to a point 1 km downstream;

  • (b) stocked trout lakes; or

  • (c) stocked trout streams.

• (2) A person engaged in recreational fishing may use a dip net to assist in landing fish caught by angling.

• (3) [Repealed, SOR/2004-39, s. 1]

• (4) [Repealed, SOR/88-190, s. 5]

34 [Repealed, SOR/2023-28, s. 16]

35 No person engaged in recreational fishing shall catch and retain in any day or possess an aggregate volume of bait fish, other than suckers and ciscoes, greater than 4 L.

35.1 No person engaged in recreational fishing shall possess more than 180 live bait fish.

36 No person shall engage in recreational fishing with

• (a) a dip net, the mouth of which is greater than 1 m²;

• (a.1) a cast net, the area of which is greater than 3 m²;

• (b) a seine net, the area of which is greater than 3 m²;

• (c) a minnow trap

  • (i) the length of which is greater than 65 cm, or

  • (ii) the width, depth or diameter of which is greater than 35 cm; or

• (d) a minnow trap on which that person’s name and address are not clearly marked.

37 [Repealed, SOR/2023-28, s. 18]

Ice Fishing

• 38 (1) A person placing an ice-fishing shelter on any ice-covered waters shall, if the shelter is left unattended, mark the following information clearly on the outside of the shelter in block letters at least 5 cm in height:

  • (a) their full name or the customer identification number indicated on their angling licence; and

  • (b) their phone number.

• (2) Subject to subsection (3), the person shall remove the shelter from the ice-covered waters

  • (a) on or before the Sunday that falls between March 9 and March 15, in the case of the waters of the Red River;

  • (b) on or before March 15, in the case of the waters of Area B of the Southern Division;

  • (c) on or before March 31, in the case of the waters of the Southern Division other than those referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b); or

  • (d) on or before April 15, in the case of any waters other than those referred to in paragraphs (a) to (c).

• (3) The person shall remove the shelter from the ice-covered waters at the direction of the fishery officer if the officer informs them that ice break-up appears imminent.

PART VCommercial Fishing

Restrictions on Trade

39 No person shall sell, trade or barter or offer to sell, trade or barter any fish taken from any waters of Manitoba other than fish taken under the authority of a licence that authorizes commercial fishing issued under the provincial Act.

Close Times and Quotas

40 No person shall engage in commercial fishing in the waters set out in Column I of an item of Schedule XV for a species set out in Column II of that item during the close time set out in Column IV of that item.

41 The annual commercial fishing quota for waters set out in Column I of an item of Schedule XV for a species set out in Column II of that item is the weight amount set out in Column III of that item.

• 42 (1) Where a fishery officer has determined that an annual quota for a species of fish set out in Column II of an item of Schedule XV in the waters set out in Column I of that item has been or is about to be taken, the fishery officer shall give notice that the quota has been taken.

• (2) The notice referred to in subsection (1) shall be given to the persons affected or likely to be affected by the notice by one or more of the methods referred to in subsection 4(2).

• (3) Where a notice is given in accordance with subsection (1), no person shall engage in commercial fishing in any waters to which the notice applies for the species to which the notice applies.

43 To determine whether, in respect of a species set out in Column I of an item of the table to this section, the annual quota set out in Column III of an item of Schedule XV or a quantity of whole fish set out as a condition of a licence has been taken, the weight of all fish taken shall be the sum of

• (a) in the case of whole fish of a species, the weight of the fish at the time they are removed from a vessel; and

• (b) in the case of processed fish of a species, the weight of the fish at the time they are removed from a vessel multiplied by the appropriate conversion factor set out in Column II, III or IV, as appropriate, of an item of the table to this section.

  Item	Column I	Column II	Column III	Column IV
  		Conversion Factor —	Conversion Factor —	Conversion Factor —
  	Species	Dressed	Headless Dressed Headless Drawn	Filleted
  1	Lake trout	1.2	1.5	2.5
  2	Lake whitefish	1.1	1.2	2.2
  3	Northern pike	1.2	1.5	2.5
  4	Sauger	1.1	1.4	2.4
  5	Walleye	1.1	1.4	2.4

44 [Repealed, SOR/98-247, s. 13]

Gill Net Mesh Size Limits

• 45 (1) Where, pursuant to subsection 4(1), the provincial Minister or the Director varies a close time set out in Column IV of an item of Schedule XV to permit commercial fishing, the provincial Minister or the Director may specify in the notice referred to in subsection 4(2) a minimum and a maximum gill net mesh size limit from the gill net mesh size limits set out in the table to this subsection.

  	Gill Net Mesh Size Limits
  1	76 mm
  2	83 mm
  3	89 mm
  4	95 mm
  5	102 mm
  6	108 mm
  7	114 mm
  8	121 mm
  9	127 mm
  10	133 mm
  11	140 mm
  12	152 mm
  13	178 mm
  14	203 mm
  15	229 mm
  16	254 mm
  17	279 mm
  18	305 mm
  19	330 mm

• (2) Where minimum or a maximum gill net mesh size limit is specified by the provincial Minister or the Director pursuant to subsection (1), no person shall fish in the waters to which the notice applies with a gill net the mesh size of which is smaller than the minimum, or larger than the maximum, gill net mesh size limit specified in the notice.