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Part of Fish culture licences

Aquaculture - Recreational fish culture licence

Apply for a recreational fish culture licence.

Explore pages in:
Fish culture licences

Read the process information and complete the form below.

Application process

You must possess a current licence in order to purchase fish from a commercial fish culture facility. Licences are $100 and your licence will expire on March 31 in the 5th year following the year of its issue.

  • Be advised that using water for the culture of fish may require a licence under the Water Act. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure biological, engineering, land, and water use permits have been obtained. Failure to do so may result in the revoking of your licence.
  • Applications under the Water Act can be submitted electronically through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).
  • Licences will not be issued for water bodies located on public lands.
  • Only Category 1 fish can be obtained by recreational licence holders. (See below)
  • Any waterbody that has water running through it may require inspection by an Alberta Forestry and Parks representative. Where required, fish barriers must be installed and inspected before a licence will be issued.
  • A recreational fish culturist cannot sell fish or charge for fishing opportunities for the waterbody or waterbodies listed on this licence.
  • Recreational licences cannot be transferred. If a property is sold, the new property owners must apply for a new licence.
  • Note that a receipt for payment is not a licence. The licence will be emailed to you. Payments are non-refundable. Licences may take up to 4 weeks to process.
  • If there are questions with regards to your application, you will be contacted at the email or phone number you have provided on your application.
  • Only the fish that are listed on your licence can be stocked within the waterbodies identified on your licence.

Category 1 – species for live sale to recreational licensees

  • Tilapia – Indoor contained waters
  • Triploid rainbow trout
  • Triploid brook trout
  • Triploid brown trout
  • Tiger trout

Form

Is your application
Fish are for

Pond location

Please share the location of the pond that you wish to licence. We will require both:

  • ATS (Quarter section, section, township, range, meridian)
  • GPS coordinates
Quarter section
Meridian

To find accurate GPS coordinates on Google maps, locate your facility/pond and right click if you are using a computer. Click on the coordinates to copy, and paste them into the box below.

If you are using a cell phone, drop a pin in the middle of your facility/waterbody, and open the pin to see the latitude and longitude. Here's an example of what your GPS location should look like:

53.021483295610494, -114.05375773667008

Latitude, longitude

Please include at least 7 numbers after the decimal to improve accuracy.

Please ensure that the location information is accurate and represents the premises you wish to stock with fish. Incorrect information may result in licences being delayed or denied.

Secondary pond location

Please share the location of the second pond you wish to licence on the same section. You can share:

  • Address, if urban
  • GPS coordinates

To find accurate GPS coordinates on Google maps, locate your facility/pond and right click if you are using a computer. Click on the coordinates to copy, and paste them into the box below.

If you are using a cell phone, drop a pin in the middle of your facility/waterbody, and open the pin to see the latitude and longitude. Here's an example of what your GPS location should look like:

53.021483295610494, -114.05375773667008

Latitude, longitude

Please include at least 7 numbers after the decimal to improve accuracy.

Please ensure that the location information is accurate and represents the premises you wish to stock with fish. Incorrect information may result in licences being delayed or denied.

Note: Contained waters are defined as waters held in a man-made aquarium or other impervious container that is normally housed within a building, or waters held in a man-made reservoir that isolates the water in it from flowing into other water sources and must be completely lined with an impervious material. Examples of contained waters are shown here:

aquaculture container aquaculture pool
Are you applying for a licence for contained waters?
One file only.
400 MB limit.
Allowed types: jpg, pdf.
One file only.
400 MB limit.
Allowed types: jpg, png, pdf.
Is your pond located within the native trout zone?

Connectivity

A waterbody is considered to have connectivity if it has “Direct flow”.

“Direct flow” means the permanent or temporary/seasonal movement of water from source to destination through a natural or man-made conduit or continuous channel characterized by bed, bank and shore. The bed and shore of a body of water shall be the land covered so long by water as to wrest it from vegetation or as to mark a distinct character on the vegetation where it extends into the water or on the soil itself.

This diagram is showing connectivity at high and low water flows.

Aquaculture connectivity 1

This photo also shows connectivity.

Aquaculture connectivity 2

This image is showing vegetation that is typical of a wetted area that also demonstrates connectivity.

Aquaculture connectivity 3
Is there direct flow to natural fish bearing waters?

Barriers

The Fisheries Act prohibits the release of all non-native aquatic species (including goldfish and koi fish) into natural/public waters. It is imperative that any inflow or outflow of the waterbody is properly screened at all times to prevent the escapement of stocked fish into natural/public waters.

  • The screen material shall be corrosion and UV light resistant and sufficiently durable to withstand heavy flow into or out of the waterbody; (i.e. 16-20 gauge wire)
  • 1/3 of screen should be submerged during normal flows
  • Structural features shall be provided to protect the integrity of the fish screens from erosion and/or large debris (i.e. trash rack, shoring base and sides of screens)

For additional information on fish barriers go to page 23 of the Best Practices for Recreational Stocking of Trout in Alberta.

Are appropriate barriers in place in the pond you wish to licence?
Maximum 3 files.
400 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Risk Assessment Review and Licence Limitations

If your pond is located in a zone that may present higher risk to native trout populations, and will require additional review by Government of Alberta, Forestry and Parks, Aquaculture Program.

  • The licence may also be denied if there is direct flow to genetically important trout populations or critical habitat.
  • The stocking of certain species may be restricted in your area.
  • If an approved fish barrier is required for your pond, your licence application may be denied if the barrier is not approved by Aquaculture Program biologists.
  • If a fish barrier is required, it must be fully functioning for the duration of your licence period.
  • Assessment of your application may take 2 - 8 weeks.
  • Your licence will be issued for a 5 year period.
  • If you are approved for payment of the licence, you will be contacted upon completion of the risk assessment to complete payment. You will be contacted via the email address you provided in this application.
Previous Commercial fish culture licence