Nanaimo River hatchery-coho stretch opened Oct. 16 at four fish a day

One stretch of the Nanaimo River opened for hatchery coho on Oct. 16. Fisheries and Oceans Canada fishery notice FN0952, sent Sept. 2, 2026, is the order that set the mid-October rules. From 00:01 on Oct. 16 through 23:59 on Dec. 31, the daily limit is four coho, hatchery-marked only, from the upstream side of the Cedar Road Bridge upstream to the downstream side of the Highway 1 overpass.

Everywhere else on the Nanaimo River and its tributaries, the same notice sets the coho daily limit at zero from 00:01 on Oct. 15 until further notice. The variation order is 2026-RFQ-396. “Hatchery-marked” means a healed scar where the adipose fin was.

Barbless hooks are required for salmon in British Columbia tidal and non-tidal waters. A salmon foul-hooked in a lake or stream, including the tidal part of a coastal stream, may not be kept. Anglers need a non-tidal licence and the non-tidal salmon surcharge. Fishing is not allowed within 100 metres of a government facility used to count, pass, or rear fish.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada — FN0952, Nanaimo River coho (notice sent Sept. 2, 2026; measures effective Oct. 16).