No Fishing Licence Needed Jun 18 - 20

GONE FISHIN’ ON FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND

If you ever wanted to try fishing or introduce the sport to a youngster, now’s your chance to do it for free, Environment Minister Barry Penner announced today.

“I hope families will take advantage of the free fishing opportunity being provided by the Province, and I encourage them to go outdoors this weekend and learn a new pastime together,” said Penner. “Fishing teaches children the importance of protecting the outdoors and instils in them a connection to nature that will last a lifetime, helping to preserve the resource for generations to come.”

During B.C.’s Family Fishing Weekend from June 18-20, residents of Canada may fish in most of B.C.’s thousands of lakes and streams, compliments of the provincial government and subject to the freshwater fishing regulations. The Family Fishing Weekend Society provides financial assistance, materials and guidance to volunteer groups who will be putting on family fishing events.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC helps by stocking more than 8 million fish into 900 lakes and streams each year, developing community fisheries, and delivering Learn to Fish programs. Other organizations that contribute are The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, which supports the health and diversity of B.C.’s fish stocks and their habitat, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, dedicated to the conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon.

“B.C. is great for fishing and fishing is great for B.C.,” said Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. “The fishing opportunities in our beautiful lakes and streams are unparalleled and freshwater anglers spend $480 million every year on equipment, travel, accommodation and hospitality services supporting 7,500 direct jobs.”

This year there are 47 free, fun family fishing events taking place all over the province during the Father’s Day weekend. They give new anglers the chance to learn the rules of fishing and to see what’s being done to preserve fish stocks and their habitat.

“These events offer a great opportunity to learn how to fish and provide lots of useful educational information in a fun and supervised environment,” said Owen Bird, executive director of the Family Fishing Society of British Columbia. “There will be volunteers at each location to provide advice, and equipment will be available for free use.”

For more details and a list of communities where family fishing events are being held, visit visit this LINK .

For more information about BC fishing be sure to visit Nanaimo-Info.com using this LINK.

If you get hooked on fishing this free weekend and can’t wait to get your new licence for the rest of the season, you can purchase it online anytime at this website.