Fish Conservation and Management

Catch-and-Release Fishing

Here's the deal. Alberta has a whole lot of anglers but only a limited number of fish. If you do the math, you can see why this might be a problem. If everyone kept all of the fish they caught, eventually the fish would run out – and fish are kind of an essential part of fishing.

If we want to continue enjoying fishing in Alberta for many years to come, we’ve got to do our part to make sure there are fish in the water and that these fish have a chance to grow and to reproduce. That’s where catch and release fishing comes in.

Catch and release is exactly what you’d think it is: you catch a fish and then you put it back into the water. Although it sounds pretty straightforward, there are a few catch and release techniques you can use that can make a big difference in determining whether a fish lives or dies after you release it.

Follow these catch and release techniques the next time you’re fishing and do your part to keep fish in our future:

Learn more about fish conservation efforts in Alberta:

Bow Habitat Station

Located in Calgary, Alberta, and home to one of the largest enclosed trout hatcheries in North America, Bow Habitat Station is the place to discover Alberta’s diverse fish species and aquatic habitats.


Updated: Feb 5, 2020