A Model Sport Fishery

Quebec’s Atlantic salmon fishing regulations are designed to conserve the species, with rigorous monitoring of both angler participation and salmon populations. The overall framework is adaptive, and angling pressure on most salmon rivers is managed through limited-entry lotteries. Catch and kills reporting is mandatory, catch and release reporting is encouraged, and most salmon rivers are restricted to fly fishing. However, what truly makes Quebec’s Atlantic salmon fishery a model is its unique Zone d’exploitation contrôlée, commonly known as a ZEC, which alongside rivers managed as wildlife reserves, is how Quebec has chosen to blend conservation and access into 22 locally controlled organizations who are both managers of, and champions for some of Quebec’s most popular and prominent salmon angling destinations.