Fishery Notice

Seasonal sanitary shellfish closures are in effect from May 31 to September 30, 2025, on the North Coast, East Coast and West Coast of Vancouver Island in Areas 7, 9, 12 to 19, 23, 25 and 28 as a result of recommendations from the Pacific Region Interdepartmental Shellfish Committee. Therefore, effective September 30, 2025, the seasonal sanitary closures for bivalve shellfish, as described below, are revoked.

North Coast 

Seasonal Closure 7.B, Wigham Cove, Yeo Island, PSN-2025-316:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Wigham Cove, Yeo Island, inside a line drawn from the headland at the eastern end of the cove entrance at 52°16.64' north latitude and 128°10.40' west longitude, thence west to the opposite shore at 52°16.64' north latitude and 128°10.51' west longitude. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 9.A, Clam Bay, Penrose Island, PSN-2025-325:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of the unnamed bay, locally known as Clam Beach, located on the west side of Penrose Island, lying inside a line drawn from a point on land at 51°29.25' north latitude and 127°45.90' west longitude thence south to the westernmost point on the small unnamed island, thence southeast to the headland on Fury Island at 51°29.10' north latitude and 127°45.80' west longitude, thence east along the high water mark to the easternmost point of Fury Island at 51°29.07' north latitude and 127°45.35' west longitude, thence northeasterly to a point on the opposite shore at 51°29.10' north latitude and 127°45.28' west longitude. [NAD83]

East Coast of Vancouver Island

Seasonal Closure 12.A, Cutter Cove, PSN-2025-326:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Cutter Cove lying east of a line drawn from the southern headland of the cove, thence northerly to the westernmost point on the northern headland.

Seasonal Closure 13.B, Von Donop Inlet, Cortes Island, PSN-2025-327:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Von Donop Inlet, Cortes Island.

Seasonal Closure 13.C, Drew Harbour, Quadra Island, PSN-2025-328:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Drew Harbour, Quadra Island, lying inside a straight line drawn from the northernmost tip of Rebecca Spit across the entrance of Drew Harbour to its western headland. 

Seasonal Closure 14.A, Tribune Bay, Hornby Island, PSN-2025-329:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Tribune Bay, Hornby Island, lying inside of a line from Dunlop Point on the southwest shore at 49°30.58' north latitude and 124°37.87' west longitude thence northeasterly to a point on land at 49°30.97' north latitude and 124°36.39' west longitude. [NAD83] 

Seasonal Closure 14.B, False Bay, Lasqueti Island, PSN-2025-330:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of False Bay, Lasqueti Island, lying north of a line drawn from a point of land on the southeast side of Higgins Island at 49°29.591' north latitude and 124°21.721' west longitude, thence northeasterly to a point on land on Lasqueti Island at 49°29.638' north latitude and 124°21.341' west longitude, thence following the high tide mark of the Lasqueti Island shoreline beginning in a northerly and westerly direction to point on land at 49°29.728' north latitude and 124°22.160' west longitude, thence southeasterly to a point on land on the northwest side of Higgins Island at 49°29.700' north latitude and 124°22.090' west longitude, thence easterly and southerly following the high tide mark back to the point of commencement. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 15.A, Prideaux Haven, PSN-2025-331:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of the area known as Prideaux Haven, including Melanie Cove and Laura Cove, bounded on the west by a line drawn along the shortest distance from Eveleigh Island to the shore of the mainland and on the north by a line drawn from Lucy Point on Eveleigh Island to the westernmost tip of Scobell Island and thence from the easternmost tip of Scobell Island to Copplestone Point.

Seasonal Closure 15.B, Tenedos Bay, PSN-2025-332:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Tenedos Bay lying inside a line drawn from the eastern tip of Bold Head northeast to the southern headland of the easternmost bay of Tenedos Bay.

Seasonal Closure 15.C, Allies Island, West Redonda Island, PSN-2025-333:

The waters and intertidal foreshore lying between Allies Island and west Redonda Island.

Seasonal Closure 15.D, Roscoe Bay, West Redonda Island, PSN-2025-334:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Roscoe Bay, west Redonda Island.

Seasonal Closure 15.E, Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island, PSN-2025-335:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island, lying inside a line drawn along the shortest distance from the western shore of Protection Island to Cortes Island and inside a line drawn along the shortest distance from the eastern shore of Protection Island to Cortes Island.

Seasonal Closure 15.F, Cortes Bay, Cortes Island, PSN-2025-336:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Cortes Bay, Cortes Island, lying inside a line drawn across the entrance to the bay.

Seasonal Closure 15.G, Grace Harbour, PSN-2025-337:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Grace Harbour lying inside a line drawn from Moss Point to Scott Point, excluding the annual closure 15.17.

Seasonal Closure 15.H, Mink Island, PSN-2025-338:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of the prominent bay on the southeast side of Mink Island, Desolation Sound, lying west of a line drawn true north from the point of land at 50°06.20' north latitude and 124°45.20' west longitude. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 16.A, Smuggler Cove, PSN-2025-339:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Smuggler Cove lying inside a line drawn from the Smuggler Cove Marine Park sign at the entrance to the cove to the opposite shore.

Seasonal Closure 16.C, Buccaneer Bay, PSN-2025-340:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Buccaneer Bay, Thormanby Islands, south of a line drawn from the westernmost unnamed point of land west of Derby Point on South Thormanby Island at 49°30.48' north latitude and 123°58.96' west longitude, thence northerly to the green lateral buoy designated Q51, located at or near 49°31.12' north latitude and 123°59.10' west longitude, thence southwesterly to a point on land at the edge of the beach at the base of the cliff on North Thormanby Island at 49°30.57' north latitude and 124°00.08' west longitude; and northeast of a line drawn from Grassy Point, North Thormanby Island at 49°29.68' north latitude and 123°59.45' west longitude, thence southeasterly to the nearest point of land on South Thormanby Island at 49°29.60' north latitude and 123°59.36' west longitude. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 17.B, Pirates Cove, De Courcy Island, PSN-2025-341:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Pirates Cove, De Courcy Island.

Seasonal Closure 17.D, Cove Northwest of Conover Cove, PSN-2025-342:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of the cove northwest of Conover Cove, Wallace Island, lying inside a line drawn from the northwesternmost point of the shoal at 48°56.65' north latitude and 123°33.40' west longitude, thence northeasterly to the end of the headland on the opposite shore. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 17.E, Montague Harbour, Galiano Island, PSN-2025-343:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Montague Harbour, Galiano Island, inside a line drawn from the southeastern tip of Gray Peninsula northeasterly to the base of the overhead cable tower on the northeastern foreshore of the harbour.

Seasonal Closure 17.F, Clam Bay, PSN-2025-344:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Clam Bay inside of a line drawn from a point on land on Penelakut (Kuper) Island near the entrance to 'The Cut' at 48°59.01' north latitude and 123°39.32' west longitude northeasterly to the southernmost point of Leech Island at 48°59.47' north latitude and 123°38.88' west longitude, thence southeasterly to the tip of Penelakut Spit on Penelakut (Kuper) Island at 48°58.99' north latitude and 123°38.10' west longitude, and thence following the shoreline along the high tide mark back to the point of commencement. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 18.A, Long Harbour, Saltspring Island, PSN-2025-345:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Long Harbour, Saltspring Island, east of the Shellfish Sanitary Closure 18.16 boundary to a line drawn across the narrows northwest of the B.C. Ferries dock, from the northern side of the narrows at 48°51.62' north latitude and 123°27.69' west longitude due south to the southern side of the narrows at 48°51.55' north latitude and 123°27.69' west longitude. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 18.B, Reef Harbour, Tumbo Island, PSN-2025-346:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Reef Harbour, lying inside a line drawn from the northeastern tip of Tumbo Island at 48°47.90' north latitude and 123°04.45' west longitude to Cabbage Island thence along the northern shoreline of Cabbage Island to a point at 48°48.00' north latitude and 123°05.25' west longitude, and thence southward to a point on Tumbo Island at 48°47.75' north latitude and 123°05.25' west longitude. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 18.C, Princess Bay, Portland Island, PSN-2025-347:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Princess Bay located inside a line drawn from the southernmost point of Portland Island at 48°43.04' north latitude and 123°22.52' west longitude, thence southeast to the southernmost point of Hood Island at 48°42.88' north latitude and 123°22.39' west longitude, thence following the shoreline to the easternmost point of Hood Island, thence northeast to the southernmost point on the unnamed island located north of the Tortoise Islets at 48°43.08' north latitude and 123°22.08' west longitude, thence southwest to a point of land on Portland Island at 48°43.05' north latitude and 123°22.26' west longitude. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 18.D, Winter Cove, PSN-2025-348:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Winter Cove, lying east of a line drawn from Mikuni Point at 48°48.66' north latitude and 123°12.21 west longitude thence true north to a point on land at 48°48.84 north latitude and 123°12.21 west longitude; and west of a line drawn from Winter Point at 48°48.83 north latitude and 123°11.33 west longitude northerly to Ralph Grey Point at 48°48.86 north latitude and 123°11.35 west longitude. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 19.A, Sidney Spit Marine Park, PSN-2025-349:

Those waters inside a line, representing DFO Statistical Subarea 19-6, that begins at the end of Sidney Spit at 48°39.19' north latitude and 123°20.67? west longitude, thence in a southeasterly direction to a point of land on Sidney Island at 48°38.65? north latitude and 123°20.02? west longitude, thence following the shoreline of Sidney Spit Marine Park on Sidney Island to a point on land at 48°38.27? north latitude and 123°20.38' west longitude, thence northerly to the beginning point. [NAD83]

West Coast of Vancouver Island

Seasonal Closure 23.C, Entrance Inlet, PSN-2025-350:

With the exception of Cigarette Cove at the head of Entrance Inlet, which is closed annually under Sanitary Closure Map 23.3, the waters and intertidal foreshore of Entrance Inlet, lying inside a line drawn across the narrows at the entrance, from a point on land on the west side of the entrance at 49°00.00' north latitude and 125°17.78' west longitude, to a point on land on the east side of the entrance at 48°59.98' north latitude and 125°17.70' west longitude, thence to the narrows at the boundary on Sanitary Closure Map 23.3, at a line drawn across the narrows from a point on land on the west side at 49°00.33' north latitude and 125°17.45' west longitude, to a point on land on the east side at 49°00.33' north latitude and 125°17.41' west longitude. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 23.H, Robbers Passage, PSN-2025-351:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Robbers Passage, south of a line drawn from a point of land on Tzartus Island at 48°53.81' north latitude and 125°07.00' west longitude due west to a point on land on Fleming Island at 48°53.81' north latitude and 125°07.27' west longitude; and north of a line drawn from a point of land on Tzartus Island at 48°53.64' north latitude and 125°06.81' west longitude southwesterly to a point of land on Fleming Island at 48°53.58' north latitude and 125°06.88' west longitude. [NAD83]

Seasonal Closure 25.A, Santa Gertrudis Cove, Nootka Island, PSN-2025-352:

The waters and intertidal foreshore of Santa Gertrudis Cove, Nootka Island, inside a line drawn from the point at the southern end of the cove entrance at 49°36.23' north latitude and 126°36.85' west longitude to the point on the northern end of the cove entrance at 49°36.10' north latitude and 126°36.90' west longitude. [NAD27]

Seasonal Closure 28.B, Indian Arm, Burrard Inlet, PSN-2025-353:

Subarea 28-14 described as the head of Indian Arm north of a line drawn from a point on land at Iron Bay at 49°27.464' north latitude and 122°52.246' west longitude, thence in a westerly direction to a point on land on the opposite shore south of the Wigwam Inn at 49°27.420' north latitude and 122°53.100' west longitude. [NAD83]

Note that this notice does not describe other sanitary closures which may be in effect, or Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP, red tide) and other marine biotoxin closures. For an area to be open and safe for harvesting, both biotoxin and sanitary need to be open. For information on sanitary contamination and biotoxin closures please go to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada mapping site SHELLI to determine where there is safe harvest at https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/shellfish-mollusques/cssp-map-eng.htm. 

Specific species limits, restrictions and maps for each subarea are available at https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/bc-zones-cb-eng.html and at local DFO offices.

For more information contact DFO.PACCSSP-PCAMPAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN1033
Sent September 29, 2025 at 1207

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Printed from the Pacific Region web site on June 13, 2026 at 0231