Seafood and Fishing

The waters around qathet are cold, clean and full of life, and seafood is a big part of why people come and why they stay. Salmon, Dungeness crab and spot prawns are the three to know, and oysters and other shellfish are a close fourth. You can catch them yourself, join a charter, or simply sit down to a plate of them. This page covers all three, with honest notes on seasons and rules, which change every year.

Spot prawns

Spot prawns are the largest shrimp on the B.C. coast, sweet and firm, and a treat for local cooks. The commercial fishery is short and starts in spring, usually around May, and its length changes each year. A recent local season was described as one of the shortest and lowest-volume on record, so fresh supply can be limited. Ask restaurants and local sellers what is in season before you plan a meal around them.

If you want to catch your own, DFO’s rules for this area (Area 15, Powell River and Texada) say:

  • The daily limit is 125 shrimp including prawns, taken with a ring net or trap.
  • Traps and ring nets together are limited to four per person.
  • Traps need a rot cord, a round float at least 27 cm across, and a tag or buoy with your name and phone number.
  • Release any prawn carrying eggs right away, and do not remove the eggs.
  • Diving for prawns and shrimp is closed year round in the Strait of Georgia dive closure areas.

Dungeness crab

Dungeness crab is a coastal staple, and crabbing from a boat or a dock is a classic summer activity. DFO’s rules for this area say:

  • The daily limit is four, and each crab must be at least 165 mm across the shell.
  • Female Dungeness crab cannot be kept and must be released.
  • You can use a trap, ring net, dip net or hand picking. Diving is closed in the dive closure areas.
  • Keep the shell attached until the crab gets home or is eaten, so its size can be checked.

Salmon

Salmon fishing is the big draw, and the runs shape the seasons here. Limits and openings change often, sometimes during the season. As of DFO’s Area 15 page in late October 2026, the daily limits were:

  • Chinook: 2, at least 62 cm, with a barbless hook.
  • Coho: 2 combined, hatchery-marked only. Wild (unmarked) coho cannot be kept.
  • Pink: 4. Chum: 4.
  • Sockeye: no retention.
  • Barbed hooks are not allowed, and you must record any chinook you keep right away on your licence, catch log or the FishingBC app.

Check the same page for the current openings and closures before you go. Some areas near Vivian Island, Mitlenatch Island and the Beach Gardens breakwater are protected closures.

Oysters, clams and mussels

The cold, clean inlets here are good bivalve country, and oysters are a local specialty. Oysters, clams and mussels are also the shellfish where safety matters most, because they filter the water and can carry biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can be serious. DFO’s rules for this area say:

  • Clams: 60 a day, all species combined. Manila and littleneck clams must be at least 35 mm, and butter clams at least 55 mm.
  • Mussels: 75 a day, all species combined.
  • Do not take Pacific oysters under 5 cm across, which protects the native Olympia oyster.
  • Oyster and shellfish farms are private. You need permission to harvest from a marked farm.
  • Do not harvest bivalves within 300 m of sewage or industrial outfalls, or within 125 m of a marina, ferry wharf or net pen. Sanitary closures also apply to some local shores, including the Powell River foreshore and the Lund wastewater plant area.
  • Check the DFO bivalve shellfish contamination closures before you harvest anything, every time. Closures can start with little notice, and you cannot tell safe shellfish by looking at it.

Prefer to let someone else do the harvesting? Our oyster and mussel farms and restaurants, listed below, are the safe and easy way to taste them.

When to go: the seafood calendar

Seasons change from year to year, and DFO can open or close an area at short notice, so treat this as a rough guide and confirm before you plan around a date.

  • Spot prawns: the commercial season typically opens around mid-May and runs about four to six weeks, through May and June. The 2026 season opened around May 13. This is the window for the freshest prawns, and supply can be limited.
  • Chinook (spring) salmon: Powell River Outdoors lists chinook from early May through September, with May to September as prime salmon season. Albion Point (Black Point) is described as a late-run spot in August and September.
  • Coho: local guides point to late June and July, but openings and the hatchery-marked-only rule change, so check DFO.
  • Pink and chum salmon: openings vary by year and run. Check DFO’s Area 15 page for the current dates.
  • Dungeness crab: DFO’s rules for this area list crab as open with no season dates, so recreational crabbing is possible through the year. Watch for closures.
  • Oysters, clams and mussels: DFO’s rules list no set season, but biotoxin and contamination closures can happen at any time and can last weeks or months. Always check the closures page first.
  • Saltwater fishing generally: it is possible twelve months a year, but May through September is the main season.

What you need to fish

  • Everyone harvesting fish or shellfish in B.C. tidal waters needs a tidal waters sport fishing licence, at any age. Licences for people under 16 are free.
  • To keep salmon you also need a salmon conservation stamp, $7.39 a year.
  • 2026/27 prices before GST: an adult annual licence is $25.86 for B.C. residents and $124.41 for non-residents. One-day licences are $6.46 and $8.62, and three-day and five-day licences are also available.
  • Licences are sold online through the National Recreational Licensing System or from local licence vendors.
  • Check for shellfish harvesting closures before you collect oysters or clams, because biotoxins and contamination can close beaches without much notice.

Go fishing: charters and marinas

A local charter takes care of the boat, the gear and the know-how, which is a real advantage if you are new to these waters. Ask each operator what is included, whether you need to bring a licence, and what they can keep for you.

Eat it: dining on the freshest catch

The best seafood meals follow the calendar above. In late spring, ask about spot prawns. In summer and early fall, ask what salmon and crab are on the menu. Menus change with the catch and the supply, so call ahead and ask what came in that day.

Browse more in our Eat and Drink directory.

Plan your seafood trip

Summer is the busiest and most beautiful season, so book charters, rooms and tables early. Read our Getting Here guide first, because ferries and flights fill up and can be disrupted, and build a spare day into any trip that depends on a fishing date.

Sources: DFO bivalve shellfish contamination closures, DFO tidal area 15 recreational fishing limits, DFO recreational fishing licences Powell River Peak on the commercial prawn season, Powell River Outdoors, Fanny Bay Oysters on the 2026 prawn season and BC Sea Kayak on Powell River restaurants. Rules and fees were checked in November 2026 and change often, so confirm with DFO before you fish.