Salmon catch and release regulations for the
York, Dartmouth, and St. Jean Rivers in Gaspé, Québec

Gaspé salmon fisherman will be releasing more salmon this year due to decreasing salmon stocks. According to one government study there was a drop of 30% in the number of salmon in the Gaspé rivers between 1987 and 1997. As a result, all adult salmon (those greater than 63 cm) must be released during certain parts of the salmon season. On the York river the period is from June 1st to 21st. On the Dartmouth this period is from June 1st to July 15th. On the St. Jean River the period extends for the whole salmon season.

Catch and release regulations for the Z.E.C. in Gaspé, Québec

The code of ethics regarding the possibility to catch and release one or more salmon in one fishing day will be the following:

In the spirit of conservation, the Société has adopted the following policy: during the catch and release period and the normal fishing period, the fisherman must limit their captures to 2 per day.

By capture, we mean a salmon has been caught and released or has been tagged, and this without distincition between grilse and adult salmon.

It is understood, that during the normal fishing period, once an adult salmon is tagged the fishing day is over as stated in the provincial rules and regulations. However, you can tag a grilse and continue to fish for and capture another grilse, or an adult salmon.