Fishing licence

To fish on Québec’s bodies of water, it is mandatory (with some exceptions) to have a valid fishing licence. You must carry the licence when you are fishing and you must have photo ID to confirm your identity. The ID must have been issued by the government, one of its departments or a public agency. You must be able to show your licence and your ID immediately when asked to do so by a wildlife protection officer or assistant.

Categories of licences and sales prices

There are different categories of licences, depending on where you live. The sale prices therefore differ, depending on whether you are a resident or non-resident of Québec.

Please also note that:

  • Annual licences are valid from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
  • Oneday, threeday and sevenday licences are valid for the dates entered on them at the time they are purchased.
  • The sale prices include all taxes and a contribution to the Fondation de la Faune du Québec.
Sport fishing (except for Atlantic salmon)
CategoriesResidentsNon-residents
Annual, person under 65 years of age$25.55$91.43
Annual, person 65 years of age or over$20.26Not available*
7 consecutive daysNot available$55.10
3 consecutive days$14.61$36.64
1 dayNot available$21.36
Mandatory release**$14.61$35.84

*A non-resident who wants to get an annual fishing licence must pay the price of the "Annual, person under 65 years of age" licence, no matter his or her age.

**Valid in an outfitting establishment only.

Other fishing licences
CategoriesResidentsNon-residents
Fishing for burbot in lac Saint-Jean *$25.56$82.32
Replacement licence$6.83$6.83

*Licence sold only in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

Salmon fishing licence

To fish for Atlantic salmon, you must hold an Atlantic salmon sport fishing licence. This licence is mandatory to fish salmon anywhere in Quebec and to fish for any species of fish during a salmon fishing season in a salmon river. This licence expires at the end of the salmon fishing period or when all tags issued with the licence have been used. Once expired, the licence is no longer valid for fishing any other species in a salmon river.

A resident holding and carrying a "Pêche en herbe" or a "Relève de la pêche" licence may fish for salmon, but with mandatory release.

Restrictions apply to the use of an Atlantic salmon fishing licence. You may combine more than one licence, but only on the conditions shown on the licences. Whatever combination you use, you cannot catch and keep more than four Atlantic salmon during a given year (from April 1 to the following March 31).

If you do not have any tags left on your annual or three-day Atlantic salmon fishing licence, the licence is no longer valid. However, you may get another three-day licence with a single tag if you did not keep more than four salmons, or you may get a mandatory release licence to continue your fishing season.

Sport fishing for Atlantic salmon
CategoriesResidentsNon-residents
Annual$57.10$183.19
3 consecutive days*$24.88$48.81
Mandatory release$24.88$48.81

*small salmon only

Annual licence

This licence is issued with four tags. All salmon caught and kept must be tagged.

You cannot purchase or hold more than one Atlantic salmon annual licence.

You may purchase this licence even if you have already purchased an Atlantic salmon fishing licence with mandatory release or one or more threeday licences, provided your annual catch and keep limit of four salmon has not been reached. For example, if you have already caught one salmon on a threeday licence, you can only use three of the four tags issued with your annual licence.

Three consecutive day licence

This licence is issued with one tag for small salmon only. It is only valid during the period indicated on the licence.

You may not purchase or hold:

  • more than one threeday licence for overlapping periods;
  • a threeday licence if you have already purchased or already hold an annual licence;
  • a threeday licence if you have already caught and kept four salmon during a given year (from April 1st to the following March 31).

However, you may purchase a new three‑day licence valid from the day after your first three-day licence expires if your annual catch and keep limit of four salmon has not been reached and you can relate to one of the following situations:

  • You have placed the tag from your threeday licence on a small salmon, but your annual catch and keep limit of four salmon has not been reached;
  • The period indicated on your licence has expired, but your annual catch and keep limit of four salmon has not been reached.

Mandatory release licence

This licence can be purchased at any time, even if you already have a threeday licence or an annual licence.

It is valid throughout Québec to fish for salmon and to fish for and keep any other authorized species in a salmon river only.

It does not allow you to fish in a body of water for which you have already reached the daily release limit.

Additional information

To fish in a salmon river, you must comply to the following rules:

If salmon fishing is open, you must possess an Atlantic salmon sport fishing licence to fish for any species. Under exceptional cases you may use the general sport fishing licence during a salmon fishing period on the western portion of rivière aux Rochers, downstream of the boulevard des Îles bridge in PortCartier, to the mouth of the river (Petit Quai sector, part A of zone 19 south).

Outside salmon fishing periods, you must use a general sport fishing licence to fish for other species than salmon in certain salmon rivers (see the rules for zones 1, 2, 3, 18 to 21, 23, 27 and 28 on the map of fishing zones and fishing periods This hyperlink will open in a new window.).

General notice

Other species of salmon can be fished in Quebec with the general sport fishing licence.

Purchasing and replacing a licence

To purchase a fishing licence, you must visit one of our sales outlets or use our new online My Hunting and Fishing Account platform.

Currently, only licences without transportation coupons are available for sale online, which excludes annual or three-day salmon fishing licences. The mandatory catch-and-release sport fishing licence (except for Atlantic salmon) that is valid in outfitters only is not sold online either.

Purchase from sales outlets

When purchasing the licence at one of our sales outlets, you must:

  • Present your hunter’s or trapper’s certificate or complete an identification card if you do not have one. You will then be given a client card with your licence;
  • Pay the required fees;
  • Sign the back of the licence, to confirm its validity. If your first name, surname, address or date of birth is not shown on the back of the licence, or if the information shown is inaccurate, you must add or correct it by hand.

Online purchase

The online purchase of a fishing licence is now possible! During your first visit to the My Hunting and Fishing Account, you will need to create an account linked to a personal email address.

If you have a hunter or trapper certificate, you can link it to your account to have all of your information in one place. If you do not have one, you will be assigned a customer file number.

You can then shop for your licence. Once the transaction is done, you can download the licence to your phone or simply print it out. A license purchased on My Hunting and Fishing File is deemed to be electronically signed.

Buy my licence online

Purchase for someone else

The sport fishing licence is not transferable. However, it is possible to buy it for someone else at one of our sales outlets. In this case, this person, the owner, must sign it upon receipt from the buyer and ensure that the information on the back is accurate for this permit to be valid.

It is impossible to purchase a licence for someone else on the My Hunting and Fishing Account platform. Any interested person must create a personal account and purchase his or her own licence.

Replacing a licence

If a fishing licence is lost, stolen or damaged to the point that it is unusable, you must obtain a replacement licence if you wish to continue to fish.

To be entitled to the replacement fee, you must:

  • present the hunter’s or trapper’s certificate that you used to purchase the original licence;
  • or provide the client number of the lost, stolen or damaged licence. This is the number shown in the upper right-hand corner of the client card given to you when you purchased your licence.

You do not need to go back to the place at which you purchased your original licence.

A licence purchased on My Hunting and Fishing Account or from a sales agent using a hunter's certificate can however be downloaded as a replacement for a lost licence. This modality only applies to the licences offered on My Hunting and Fishing Account and requires the creation of an account. No fees will then be required.

Advice

Tip for a fishing licence purchased in a sales outlet

Keep the client card under your licence. This card not only entitles you to pay the replacement fee, it also avoids the need for you to complete an identification card every time you buy a fishing licence. You can simply use the client number shown on the card at a sales outlet.

Conditions for use and sharing of the licence

Before taking advantage of your licence, please note the following conditions:

  • Your licence is not transferable.
  • Your licence is not valid until it has been signed by both you and the sales agent who sold it to you. However, a licence purchased on My Hunting and Fishing Account is deemed to be electronically signed.
  • The information shown on the front of the licence must be accurate, otherwise it must be updated on the back of the licence.

Who can fish under my licence?

If you are 18 years of age or older, certain other people may be able to fish under your licence.

Except in certain particular situations, each person benefiting from your licence is entitled to his or her own line. For exceptions, refer to the Number of lines section.

In all cases, the total number of fish caught and kept per day must not exceed the number authorized for the licence holder.

Anglers wishing to take advantage of the licenceSport fishing licence (for species other than Atlantic salmon) and burbot fishing licenceAtlantic salmon sport fishing licence
Your spouseYes, if he or she is in your presence or in possession of your licenceNo
Your children (and those of your spouse) who are under 18 years of ageYes, if they are in your presence or in possession of your licenceYes, if they are fishing under your supervision or under your spouse's, who is in possession of your licence
Your children (and those of your spouse) who are between 18 and 24 years of age and who have a valid student card in their possessionYes, if they are in possession of your licence AND a valid student cardYes, if they are in possession of your licence AND a valid student card
Any person under 18 years of ageYes, if they are fishing under the supervision of the licence holder or his or her spouseYes, if they are fishing under the supervision of the licence holder or his or her spouse
Any student between 18 and 24 years of age who has a valid student card in his or her possessionYes, if they are fishing under the supervision of the licence holder or his or her spouseYes, if they are fishing under the supervision of the licence holder or his or her spouse

Is it possible to fish without a licence?

As a resident of Québec, you do not need a licence if:

  • You are fishing during the Fête de la pêche This hyperlink will open in a new window.. However, you must still respect the fishing periods and authorized quotas for the chosen body of water. Besides, all salmon caught without a licence during the Fête de la pêche must be released where it was caught. Fees may also apply if you fish in a wildlife territory (ZEC, provincial park or wildlife reserve), a communal wildlife area or an outfitting operation with exclusive rights.
  • You are under 18 years of age and have in your possession a Pêche en herbe This hyperlink will open in a new window. or Relève à la pêche certificate issued after an introduction to fishing activity. However, you must release any salmon you catch.
  • You fish for any species other than salmon in zone 21 and in the river portion of zone 1 located downstream from route 132, except for the section between SainteFlavie and Matapédia.
  • You fish for rainbow smelt and Atlantic tomcod in the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries downstream from the Laviolette bridge (TroisRivières).
  • You fish for freshwater crustaceans.
  • You fish in a fish pond or in the waters of any of the following three national parks of Parks Canada in Québec: Parc national de Forillon, Réserve de parc national de l’Archipel-de-Mingan and Parc national de la Mauricie  (also valid for non-residents)

Non-resident’s licence

A non-resident may also hold a Québec sport fishing licence (non-resident category) even when fishing for species targeted by Québec’s sport fishing rules in zone 21.

Anglers from Ontario

The holder of an Ontario sport fishing licence is considered to be the holder of a Québec sport fishing licence for the purpose of fishing:

  • in zone 25;
  • in lac Clarice, lac Labyrinthe and lac Raven in zone 13;
  • in a portion of lac Saint François (zone 8) located west of a line drawn from Beaudette point on the north shore to SaintLouis point on the south shore.

Anglers from New Brunswick

The holder of a New Brunswick sport fishing licence is considered to be the holder of a Québec sport fishing licence when line fishing in the Patapédia (zone 2) and Ristigouche (zones 1 and 2) salmon rivers. Fish caught in these waters and kept are considered to have been caught and kept in Québec. They must therefore be counted when calculating the catch and possession limits.

Requirement to use the services of an outfitting establishment

A nonresident who wishes to fish north of the 52nd parallel (zones 19 south, 22 north, 23, 24 and 29) or east of rivière Saint-Augustin (zone 19 south) must use the services of an outfitter. For additional information, please contact the Nord‑du‑Québec or Côte‑Nord regional offices.

Exporting sturgeon

To export lake sturgeon or Atlantic sturgeon outside Canada, you must first obtain a CITES export permit by contacting Fisheries and Oceans Canada at 1 855 869‑8670.

Regulatory Information

Last update: March 14, 2024

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