Recreational Food Fishing in Gaspé: Everything You Need to Know with EARM's New Guide

The Gaspé Peninsula offers one of Québec's richest and most accessible coastlines for recreational food fishing. To help residents and visitors fish legally and responsibly, Ensemble for Access to Marine Resources (EARM) has published a comprehensive guide dedicated to marine recreational food fishing around the Gaspé Peninsula, covering its entire coastal waters.

​

A Practical Guide to Licence-Free Marine Fishing

Designed as a quick reference tool, this gate-fold brochure brings together all the essential information needed to enjoy licence-free marine recreational fishing, a right available to residents for many species. Species by species, it outlines daily catch limits, minimum legal sizes, and permitted fishing methods, including vertical fishing, horizontal lure fishing, dead-line fishing with natural bait, jigging, and hand harvesting of shellfish such as soft-shell clams, blue mussels, and periwinkles.

The guide also specifies the open fishing seasons for each species, from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), which may be fished throughout the season, to groundfish such as Atlantic cod, white hake, pollock, and haddock, whose fishing opportunities are shorter and regulated, particularly during June, July, and August.

​

Identifying Species and Following the Regulations

Beyond seasons and catch limits, the brochure highlights species that are closed to recreational food fishing, including protected species such as Atlantic wolffish, spotted wolffish, northern wolffish, and skates, as well as species reserved for commercial fisheries, including Atlantic halibut, Atlantic herring, tuna, lobster, crab, sea cucumber, sea urchin, scallops, and whelks. This clear distinction helps anglers avoid accidental catches and potential fines resulting from species misidentification.

An illustrated diagram complements the regulatory information by showing where different species are typically found according to seabed type and water depth, from the shoreline to depths exceeding 100 metres. The visual guide helps anglers target the right species in the right habitat, whether over mud, sand, rock, gravel, or seaweed, while also providing a better understanding of the Gaspé marine ecosystem.

​

Fishing Techniques Explained Step by Step

The brochure also includes an educational section describing several fishing techniques through detailed rigging diagrams, including jigging, horizontal lure fishing, and dead-line fishing with natural bait. Typical rig components are illustrated—from sinkers and swivels to hooks, monofilament, and fluorocarbon—making the guide valuable for both beginners and experienced anglers wishing to verify or improve their equipment.

​

A Reliable Resource Developed with Fisheries Authorities

This informational brochure, reviewed in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is intended as a clear starting point rather than a comprehensive legal reference. Users are encouraged to verify the latest regulations before every fishing trip and to contact fisheries officers directly if they have any questions, using the Fisheries and Oceans Canada information line (1-418-368-5559) or Québec's provincial fisheries office (1-418-360-8444).

Two QR codes included in the brochure provide direct access to the complete regulations and to an interactive map of the covered area, available on accesressourcesmarines.org.

By combining clear visual design, regulatory accuracy, and accessible information, EARM provides both the Gaspé community and visitors with a valuable reference tool for practising recreational food fishing responsibly, sustainably, and in compliance with the law.