Recreational freshwater fishing in B.C. is going to cost a bit more this season.
Freshwater fishing license fees in the province are going up by 9.9% for the 2023-24 season and an additional 4% for the 2024-25 licence year. These are the first increases since 2003.
The most common angling license in the province, the basic angling licence for adults, will increase from $36 per year to $39.56 per year in 2023 and then to $41.15 in 2024.
The proposed increases are supported by the Provincial Angling Advisory Team with stakeholder membership groups also approving of the increase.
License fees go towards funding programs run by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. Both organizations work to support the management of fisheries, habitats and angler opportunities within the province.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is a non-profit organization whose goal is to make fishing in the province better through the enhancement and conservation of B.C.'s freshwater fish resources. The society delivers the provincial stocking program, which stocks more than 5.4 million fish into 641 lakes annually.
