Fishing License Renewal Time

April 1 is the designated date change for annual fishing licenses in BC, both freshwater and saltwater.

Saltwater licenses are required to harvest any marine life from salt water - fish, clams, oysters, prawns, crabs, etc. These are required by anyone who is wanting to fish or harvest, even children. There is no charge for children under the age of 16. Be aware of restrictions and quotas for the area you want to harvest in.

Freshwater licenses are required to fish in the lakes and rivers of BC. Be aware that there are still restrictions on where and what you can catch and in some cases how you can fish (fly rod vs spin rod for example). A license is not required for a child under the age of 16.

While may residents get an annual license, you can always purchase a short term license at any time throughout the year.

Click here for a Saltwater license.

Click here for a Freshwater license.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

BCO Coastal Gems: Port Alice

The west coast of Vancouver Island is marked by large inlets and remote villages and towns separated by wild coast and mountains. Only a few of the towns are accessible by paved road.

Port Alice is on the north-west of Vancouver Island, on the banks of Neroutsos Inlet. Often referred to as "The Gateway to the Wild West Coast", Port Alice draws fishermen looking to access the waters off Northern Vancouver Island as well as Neroutsos and Quatsino Inlets.

The town itself has approximately 660 residents. The main industry has historically been the local pulp mill. The town offers basic amenities and shopping as well as a marina and a golf course.

Beach in front of Port Alice

Port Alice is surrounded by amazing natural beauty, with great access to Alice and Victoria Lakes recreational areas. This is an area popular with outdoor enthusiasts. The climate is mild and wet, like most of the north island.

Alice Lake

To get to Port Alice is approximately a 3 - 3.5 hour drive from Campbell River, along highway that cuts through some very remote and beautiful coastal forest.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!

Moorage in BC

There are a lot of logistics involved in owning oceanfront (or lakefront) property. Many of the properties BCOceanfront deals with are boat access properties, which means the main way to reach the property is by boat or float plane. So what are the rules for moorage at a property like this?

At one time to have a legally conforming dock required a foreshore lease or license of occupation. Then Specific Permission came into place, which allowed for an owner to register a dock once and not have to worry about renewing a lease or license. As of January 2017 the government has created what is known as General Permission, which would now apply to some property owners requiring docks. This authorization is handled by the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. The BC Government information page on moorage can be found here. All of these types of moorage authorization are still available, depending on the type of moorage required and other criteria (use of moorage, location, etc).

General Permission requires no application or fee to the government. There are certain requirements that are expected to be met when a dock is put in place, for example where the dock is placed and the size of the dock. Those are laid out clearly in the pdf document at this link: General Permission.

There are certain areas where General Permission cannot be used, including most of the south-eastern portion of Vancouver Island (and all the southern Gulf Islands). There are other criteria that would also make a location not qualify for General Permission, which can be found here.

Sourcing out this type of information and knowing what is happening in the world of remote, recreational, waterfront properties is just part of what we do here at the BCO office.

Gifting Property to Charity

While most people know that you can donate property to a charitable organization ir the government (for parkland, environmental area, etc), not everyone may know that if one chooses and the land qualifies, the gift can be classified as an "eco gift". This comes up in our area occasionally, as much of the land on the coast could be termed ecologically sensitive or near to ecologically sensitive land.

The federal government oversees the process of having a donation declared an ecological gift, and there are regulations and criteria regarding how a property qualifies. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-funding/ecological-gifts-program/assessing-sensitivity.html

Not only properties can be donated. One can also donate easements and covenanted areas. The donated parcel only needs to meet one of the criterion on the list, although most of them will meet more than one.

According to the federal government, an ecological gift can provide significant tax advantages to the donor and can ensure that a land's biodiversity and environmental value is protected into the future.

For more information, go to the Environment Canada Eco Gifts page: http://www.ec.gc.ca/pde-egp/default.asp?lang=En&n=FCD2A728-1.

It's a Coastal Lifestyle ... Live It!