New fishing rules coming to the Gatineau River this spring

Tashi Farmilo

Sport fishers on the Gatineau River near Chelsea and Gatineau will be subject to updated rules when the new season opens on April 1. Quebec's environment ministry announced the change on March 12.

To understand the update, it helps to know how fishing rules work in Quebec. The province divides its territory into 29 fishing zones, each with its own set of rules covering which fish can be kept, how many, and at what times of year. Zone 10 covers the Outaouais region, including the Gatineau River.

Under Zone 10's general rules, anglers may keep up to six walleye or sauger per day, but only walleye measuring between 37 and 53 centimetres. Pike is limited to six per day, bass to six, and lake trout to two, with a minimum size of 45 centimetres. Striped bass fishing is prohibited entirely in the zone.

Within any given zone, certain stretches of water can also carry what the government calls a "regulatory exception," a special set of rules that overrides the general zone rules for a specific part of a river or lake. The lower Gatineau River already had one of these exceptions in place. What is changing is how far it extends.

Previously, the exception did not cover the stretch of river between Île Marguerite, a small island in the river, and the Rapides-Farmer dam upstream. That gap meant the general Zone 10 rules applied there, leaving anglers navigating two different rulebooks depending on exactly where they were on the water.

Under the new rules, that gap is closed. The exception zone now runs continuously from the Rapides-Farmer hydroelectric dam all the way downstream to the first island below the Alonzo-Wright Bridge. The Rapides-Farmer dam sits on the river between Chelsea and Gatineau and has been in operation since the 1920s. The Alonzo-Wright Bridge carries Route 307 across the river in the Limbour area of Gatineau.

In practical terms, a longer and now uninterrupted stretch of the lower Gatineau River falls under the same special rules, rather than being divided between two different regulatory frameworks. The specific rules that apply within the exception zone are available through the MELCCFP's interactive fishing map and the printable Zone 10 regulations document on its website. Full details on all Zone 10 changes taking effect this spring are available on the MELCCFP sport fishing website: https://peche.faune.gouv.qc.ca/regpec/carteinteractive/en 

Anyone who witnesses illegal fishing or any other activity that harms wildlife or natural habitat is encouraged to report it confidentially through the SOS Braconnage tipline, reachable at no charge by phone at 1-800-463-2191 or online through the MELCCFP website.