Licensing & Quotas

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The Native Fishing Association offers annual leases of their Herring Gillnet and Rockfish licences, and their Halibut Quota, as well as long-term leases of their Salmon Gillnet licence, to qualified British Columbia Indigenous commercial fishers.

Herring Gillnet Licences

Who Can Apply

To be eligible to lease a herring licence, you must:

  1. Be a BC Indigenous commercial fisher.
  2. Be the skipper of the vessel upon which the Herring Gillnet Licence will be placed, and operate the licence directly.
  3. Be a current member of the Native Brotherhood.

When To Apply

Applications are accepted from October 1 to November 20 each year. Decisions are announced in December for the following year’s fishing season.

How To Apply

  1. Gather the following documents:
    1. Proof of Native Brotherhood membership
    2. Vessel Registration
    3. Photo of vessel
    4. Recent fishing log
  2. Scan or photocopy each document, as copies need to be submitted with your application.
  3. Review the application form
    1. Ensure that you have all of the information required. You can view, download, or print a copy here.
  4. Complete an application form in one of the following ways:
    1. If you have scanned copies of all required documents and all of the information requested, you can apply online here. Please note that you must complete the online application in one session. Partially completed forms cannot be saved. Once you have completed the form and uploaded your documents, click “Submit” and your application will be sent directly to NFA.
    2. If you have photocopies of your documents, you will need to fax or mail them to NFA along with your application form. Print and complete the application form and fax to 1-604-925-8156 or mail to Suite 701, 100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, BC, V7T 1A2.
    3. If you have scanned copies of your documents, you can complete this application form online and save it to your computer. Then email the form and documents to reception@shoal.ca.
Apply Here

Halibut Quota

Who Can Apply

To be eligible to lease halibut quota, you must:

  1. Be a BC Indigenous commercial fisher.
  2. Be the skipper of the vessel upon which the quota will be placed, and fish it directly.
  3. Have an L tab or FL tab for the vessel; that is, own an L tab or have evidence of a lease agreement for an L tab.
  4. Have gear already in place or available on applicant’s vessel.
  5. Be a current member of the Native Brotherhood.

When To Apply

Applications are accepted from October 1 to November 20 each year. Decisions are announced in December for the following year’s fishing season.

How To Apply

  1. Gather the following documents:
    1. Proof of Native Brotherhood membership
    2. Vessel Registration
    3. Photo of vessel
    4. Recent fishing log
  2. Scan or photocopy each document, as copies need to be submitted with your application.
  3. Review the application form
    1. Ensure that you have all of the information required. You can view, download, or print a copy here.
  4. Complete an application form in one of the following ways:
    1. If you have scanned copies of all required documents and all of the information requested, you can apply online here. Please note that you must complete the online application in one session. Partially completed forms cannot be saved. Once you have completed the form and uploaded your documents, click “Submit” and your application will be sent directly to NFA.
    2. If you have photocopies of your documents, you will need to fax or mail them to NFA along with your application form. Print and complete the application form and fax to 1-604-925-8156 or mail to Suite 701, 100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, BC, V7T 1A2.
    3. If you have scanned copies of your documents, you can complete this application form online and save it to your computer. Then email the form and documents to reception@shoal.ca.
Apply Here

Rockfish License

Who Can Apply

To be eligible to lease a herring licence, you must:

  1. Be a BC Indigenous commercial fisher.
  2. Be the skipper of the vessel upon which the rockfish licence will be placed, and operate the licence directly.
  3. Be a current member of the Native Brotherhood.

When To Apply

Applications for an Outside ZN rockfish license are accepted from January 1 to February 20 each year. Decisions are announced in March for the upcoming fishing season.

How To Apply

  1. Gather the following document:
    1. Proof of Native Brotherhood membership
  2. Scan or photocopy the document, as one needs to be submitted with your application.
  3. Review the application form:
    1. Ensure that you have all of the information required. You can view, download, or print a copy here.
  4. Complete an application form in one of the following ways:
    1. If you have scanned copies of all required documents and all of the information requested, you can apply online here. Please note that you must complete the online application in one session. Partially completed forms cannot be saved. Once you have completed the form and uploaded your documents, click “Submit” and your application will be sent directly to NFA.
    2. If you have photocopies of your documents, you will need to fax or mail them to NFA along with your application form. Print and complete the application form and fax to 1-604-925-8156 or mail to Suite 701, 100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, BC, V7T 1A2.
    3. If you have scanned copies of your documents, you can complete this application form online and save it to your computer. Then email the form and documents to reception@shoal.ca.
Apply Here

Salmon Gillnet License

Who Can Apply

To be eligible for a semi-permanent lease of a salmon gillnet licence, you must:

  1. Be a BC Indigenous commercial fisher.
  2. Be the skipper of the vessel upon which the salmon licence will be placed, and operate the licence directly.
  3. Have no debt on the vessel.
  4. Have a vessel that matches our licence length of vessel.
  5. Have access to your National Online Licencing System account, to appoint the NFA as a representative.
  6. Agree to pay legal fees of approximately $2,000.
  7. Be a current member of the Native Brotherhood.

 

The following tools are available to check the status of your vessel:

Transport Canada Vessel Search:

DFO Vessel Search:

Vessel Transcript to check for debt: 

When To Apply

Salmon license lease applications are accepted year-round. Decisions take approximately four weeks.

How To Apply

  1. Gather the following documents:
    1. Proof of Native Brotherhood membership
    2. Vessel Registration
    3. Photo of vessel
    4. Recent fishing log
  2. Scan or photocopy each document, as copies need to be submitted with your application.
  3. Review the application form
    1. Ensure that you have all of the information required. You can view, download, or print a copy here.
  4. Complete an application form in one of the following ways:
    1. If you have scanned copies of all required documents and all of the information requested, you can apply online here. Please note that you must complete the online application in one session. Partially completed forms cannot be saved. Once you have completed the form and uploaded your documents, click “Submit” and your application will be sent directly to NFA.
    2. If you have photocopies of your documents, you will need to fax or mail them to NFA along with your application form. Print and complete the application form and fax to 1-604-925-8156 or mail to Suite 701, 100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, BC, V7T 1A2.
    3. If you have scanned copies of your documents, you can complete this application form online and save it to your computer. Then email the form and documents to reception@shoal.ca.
Apply Here