Fishing fees increase as Saskatchewan introduces angling habitat certificate

Anglers in Saskatchewan are going to see a bit of an increase in their fishing licence this year as the angling habitat certificate is introduced into the province, adding a mandatory fee.

“That fund is used for things like fisheries enhancement, restoration of fish habitat, and also for our fish stocking program, which is all done through our Saskatchewan fish hatchery,” said Matt Tyree, director of fisheries for the Ministry of Environment.

“It’s going to benefit the fishery overall. It’ll just allow people to have more options and more fish to catch in the long run,” said The Fishin’ Hole LTD manager, Brian Dygdala.

The certificate adds a fee of $20 to annual licences and an extra $5 for the one- to three-day passes.

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Other jurisdictions in North America have the same type of fee, including Ontario and Alberta. Tyree says those provinces have seen some positive impacts.

He says when residents hear what the money is going into, people don’t seem to mind paying the extra amount.

“Fish stocking is really important to anglers in Saskatchewan and knowing that the entirety of this fee is going to go to continuing to help support that program, as well as address some of the current needs at the hatchery,” he said.

“Yeah, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about it to this point.”

Dygdala says this may not have a big impact on people who fish all season, but possibly the people buying day passes.

“For a person that fishes all year long and loves fishing, they’re going to pay it. They might complain about it, but they’re still going to fish and they’re still going to buy a licence,” he said. “But it might hamper the person that doesn’t fish a lot.”

The habitat fee goes into effect the start of the angling season on May 5th. Anglers who purchase their licence prior to the start of the season will be exempt from the fee.

Watch above for more on where the money will be going and residents’ reactions.