Safe Boating, Safe Angling & Ontario Commercial Fishing

 

Know the Markers

Either of these markers in the water signifies that commercial fishing activities are occurring in your immediate area.

Black flag on a staff A staff (pole or stake) in the water whose uppermost flag is a 30 cm (12 in) square black flag.

Yellow jug with a black stripe A yellow plastic marker jug with a black stripe around its perimeter.

 

Caution!

Fishing vessels engaged in commercial fishing operations have restricted manoeuvring capabilities.
Navigational protocol requires other vessels to give way while commercial fishing operations are underway.
Exercise caution when approaching these vessels!

 

About This Information

The commercial fishing industry, in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Canadian Coast Guard and other stakeholders, has established a standardized net-marking system to aid you in your safe boating and angling practices. This system will help you recognize that commercial fishing activities are occurring in the area in which you are operating and remind you to exercise additional caution.

Below is a description of the most common types of gear used by the commercial fishery in Ontario. By understanding how the various kinds of fishing gear are used and where they are located, it is our hope that you can prevent possible collision with, or entanglement in, commercial fishing gear.

We urge you to read all of this information carefully. By doing so you may avoid collision, entanglement or possible swamping of your recreational vessel.

If you are a boater, this information will help you avoid conflict with commercial fishing vessels making way through the water, and possible collision with submerged fishing nets.

If you are an angler, there are a few simple suggestions here that will help you avoid entangling your tackle and/or down-riggers in submerged fishing nets.

 

Safe Boating and Angling Practices near Commercial Fishing Activity

• If you observe either of the standardized net-marking aids and/or a fishing tug engaged in fishing activities, refer to the gear descriptions below. It will help you determine the distances you should maintain from the vessels and the fishing gear to ensure your safety.
• If you observe a series of closely spaced floats between markers, do not attempt to cross. These floats indicate that the nets are set very near the surface and present a hazard to your vessel and angling gear. This type of activity generally occurs in the Spring or Fall when the water temperature is cooler, and is moderated somewhat during the July–August boating and angling season.
• When you observe an open space that has doubled marker buoys or single 8-litre yellow jugs on either side of the opening, exercise caution and proceed through the opening.
• If you are using down-riggers, be careful not to entangle your gear in commercial nets. Failure to free your down-rigger(s) from the net may cause the stern of your boat to swing into the wind and allow wave action to swamp your boat. Always keep an easily accessible pair of wire cutters near your down-rigger(s) to avoid a potentially serious accident.
• If you lose your tackle in a fishing net, inform the net owner as soon as possible. Fishing lures present a serious safety hazard to workers on fishing vessels when the catch is harvested. Fishing marker buoys have the owner’s licence number or name marked on the surface. In some cases, it may be possible to retrieve the tackle from the commercial fisherman.

Common Commercial Fishing Gear

Safe distances at a glance:

Gear Type	Minimum Distance	What To Do
“Canned” gillnet	25 m (80 ft) from marker buoys	Cross only between doubled marker buoys or the two single yellow jugs. Lift your down-riggers when passing through the opening. Avoid angling near any of the flotation “cans.”
“Bottom set” gillnet	25 m (80 ft) from marker buoys	In water under 5 m (16 ft), go around the end markers of the net. In deeper water, your vessel can cross over these nets at any location. Lift your down-riggers and angling gear when crossing.
Hoop net	Anglers: 75 m (245 ft) from marker buoys	Boaters: never travel inside the marker buoys
Trap net	Anglers: 75 m (245 ft) from marker buoys	Boaters: never travel inside the marker buoys
Trawl	300 m (1,000 ft) from the stern	Give way — the trawler cannot manoeuvre easily
Seine net	Stay outside the floats	No boating or angling inside the floats or markers

 

“Canned” Gillnet

Safe boating and angling practices near “canned” gillnets

Stay a minimum of 25 metres (80 feet) away from marker buoys. Cross through the net set only between doubled marker buoys or the two single 8-litre yellow jugs. Lift your down-riggers when passing through the opening. Avoid angling near any of the flotation “cans.”

 

“Bottom Set” Gillnet

Safe boating and angling practices near “bottom set” nets

Stay a minimum of 25 metres (80 feet) away from marker buoys. In shallow water less than 5 metres (16 feet) deep, travel around the outside of the end marker of the net. In deeper water your vessel can cross over these nets at any location. Lift your down-riggers and angling gear when crossing these nets.

 

“Hoop” Nets

Safe boating and angling practices near “hoop” nets

Boaters should not travel inside any of the marker buoys designating a hoop net. Anglers should stay a minimum of 75 metres (245 feet) away from any of the marker buoys on a hoop net to avoid tackle entanglement in the netting. (See “Entrapment Gear” below for further information.)

 

“Trap” Nets

Safe boating and angling practices near “trap” nets

Boaters should not travel inside any of the marker buoys designating a trap net. Anglers should stay a minimum of 75 metres (245 feet) away from any of the marker buoys on a trap net to avoid tackle entanglement in the netting. (See “Entrapment Gear” below for further information.)

 

“Trawl” Fishing

Safe boating and angling practices near trawlers

Allow a free space of 300 metres (1,000 feet) from the stern of a trawler engaged in fishing. A trawler engaged in fishing has a severely restricted ability to manoeuvre. Give way when you encounter this vessel.

 

“Seine” Net

Safe boating and angling practices near “seine” nets

Seine net harvesting is usually a continuous operation, and the fisher is likely close at hand during the harvest. The floats across the top of the net are visible during the operation, but the cables running to the shore winch are hidden under the water. Angling and boating should not take place inside the floats or other markers.

“Entrapment” Gear Trap nets and hoop nets are used in the following areas: the St. Lawrence River system, the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario and Embayment areas, Point Pelee, South Eastern Lake Huron, Manitoulin North Channel and South Shore, and various Inland Lakes. The size of trap and hoop nets differs dramatically, from very small to very large. For detailed information about the location of these nets, please contact local or regional fishermen. Alternative Marker: Yellow Jug with a Black Stripe This end-marker is normally used in place of the black flag and staff where the water is relatively shallow or the space is confined (for example, near shore or in an embayment area). These areas make it impractical to use a black flag on a large staff.

 

General Boating Safety

• Ensure your vessel is equipped with Canadian Coast Guard–approved life-saving equipment, and confirm your vessel is in seaworthy condition before departure.
• Check the weather forecast before your trip. All of the Great Lakes, Lake Nipigon and Lake of the Woods are subject to sudden and extreme changes in boating conditions.
• Let a friend, neighbour or the Marina operator know where you are going and what time you expect to return.

 

It is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to tamper with Commercial Fishing Nets. If you observe anyone tampering with commercial fishing gear, please call your nearest Ministry of Natural Resources office or Crime Stoppers.

 

Ontario’s Commercial Fishery

In Ontario, the fishery resource is allocated by the Minister of Natural Resources. Allocations are allotted to the following areas: resource conservation, the Indigenous food and ceremonial fishery, the commercial fishery, the angling fishery and other stakeholders. Ontario’s Commercial Fishery provides the non-angling public access to Ontario’s superb quality fish through restaurants, dining rooms, hotels, grocery stores, supermarkets, as well as local and dockside outlets.

To assign annual harvest limits to each commercial fishing licence, Ontario’s Fishery Management and scientific personnel analyze data derived from various assessment and sampling programs. The harvest limits assigned to commercial fishing licences are commonly referred to as “Individual Transferable Quotas.” This broad-based Quota Management System was introduced across the province in 1984.

Commercial Fishing Licences in Ontario are limited to specific geographic areas referred to as Quota Zones. Each Quota Zone has natural attributes which dictate the common fish species and the relative productivity of its waters. Commercial fishing licences authorize each licence holder to harvest specific amounts of Quota species, which can differ from area to area.

All of Ontario’s licenced commercial fisheries are subject to inspection or alternative audit procedures prior to landing any portion of their commercial catch, including fish utilized for personal consumption. Fish harvested commercially in Ontario’s waters are continually tracked by various supplementary audit procedures until sold in the open marketplace.

The industry works in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources on a number of assessment, sampling, and compliance programs, and provides administrative services to collect harvest Royalties on behalf of Ontario’s Minister of Finance.

The Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association, along with many regional Commercial Fisherman’s Associations, acts as a liaison with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Ontario angling community, other government agencies and various stakeholders throughout Ontario and the Northern United States.

 

Contact Us

This information was prepared by the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.