Nova Scotia general and salmon fishing licences. Read from Nova Scotia on 2026-09-29.
An adult Nova Scotia resident pays C$27.41 for the seasonal General Fishing Licence, C$6.74 at 65 and over, and a non-resident C$34.55; a one-day licence is C$13.04 for anyone 18 or over. Anglers aged 16 and 17 get it free and under-16s need none. Salmon need a separate licence, and no licence is needed in tidal or salt water.
| Licence | Nova Scotia resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| General licence, seasonal, 18 to 64 | C$27.41 | C$34.55 |
| General licence, seasonal, 65 and over | C$6.74 | C$34.55 |
| General licence, one day, 18 and over | C$13.04 | C$13.04 |
| General licence, ages 16 and 17, seasonal or one day | Free | Free |
| General licence, 18 and over with a disability | Free | Free |
| Salmon licence, seasonal (1 June β 31 October 2026) | C$41.68 | C$156.08 |
| Salmon licence, seven days | β | C$63.15 |
| Salmon licence, one day | C$29.79 | C$29.79 |
| Replacement licence | C$5.70 | C$5.70 |
Prices in CAD as the agency publishes them; residency categories, and whether tax is included, vary by province and are noted below. The Anglersβ Handbook says a C$5.91 Sportfish Habitat Fund fee is added to general and salmon licences; the fee pages do not say whether their prices include it, so this page shows the prices as published. 2026 licences run from the date of issue to 31 March 2027.
Pick your residency and how many days in a row you will fish. The cheapest combination of day, multi-day and annual licences comes first; stamps can be added.
Cheapest: Annual general licence, C$27.41, before tax.
| Option | Licence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual general licence | C$27.41 | Every day until 31 March. |
| 3 Γ 1-day general licences | C$39.12 |
Fees as Nova Scotia publishes them for 2026. A one-day licence is for one named date; buy as many as you need on different dates. The seasonal licence runs to 31 March 2027.
| Days in a row | Nova Scotia resident, 18 to 64 | Nova Scotia resident, 65 or over | Non-resident, 18 or over |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C$13.04 1 Γ 1-day | C$6.74 annual | C$13.04 1 Γ 1-day |
| 2 | C$26.08 2 Γ 1-day | C$6.74 annual | C$26.08 2 Γ 1-day |
| 3 | C$27.41 annual | C$6.74 annual | C$34.55 annual |
| 4 | C$27.41 annual | C$6.74 annual | C$34.55 annual |
Atlantic salmon need their own licence, sold only online, and it covers nothing else. The 2026 season set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada runs from 1 June to 31 October.
| Licence | Resident | Non-resident | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal | C$41.68 | C$156.08 | Valid 1 June to 31 October 2026. |
| Seven days | β | C$63.15 | Non-residents only; seven days in a row, which cannot overlap another seven-day licence. |
| One day | C$29.79 | C$29.79 | For one named date; several may be bought for different dates. |
| Ages 16 and 17, or a disability | Free | Free | Same seasonal licence at no cost. |
Concessions. Residents 65 and over pay C$6.74 for the seasonal general licence; anglers 16 and 17 and anglers with a disability pay nothing for a seasonal general or salmon licence, and 16- and 17-year-olds pay nothing for a one-day general licence either.
Anglers under 16 need no licence, and those aged 16 and 17 get the general or salmon licence free. Residents and non-residents with a permanent disability can get the General Fishing Licence at no cost. No licence is needed in tidal water, in legally built private ponds or U-fish operations, or to dip-net smelt and gaspereau, but seasons and bag limits still apply except in private ponds.
| Who fishes without buying one | What to carry, and the limits |
|---|---|
| Everyone under 16 | No licence. |
| Ages 16 and 17 | General or salmon licence at no cost, residents and non-residents. |
| Anglers with a permanent disability | General licence at no cost, online or at a Department of Natural Resources office. |
| Residents 65 and over | Not exempt: a reduced C$6.74 seasonal licence. |
| Tidal and salt water | No licence; seasons and bag limits apply. |
| Private ponds, U-fish, dip-netting smelt or gaspereau | No licence; the ownerβs permission for ponds. |
A provincial licence is not valid in a national park, which may need a special licence from Parks Canada.
Online through the province, or at one of the 204 fishing licence vendors registered with the Inland Fisheries Division, 20 of them Canadian Tire stores. Payment can be by card, cheque, money order or cash depending on where you buy; online payment is by card. Licences cannot be renewed: you apply for a new one each season.
Buy from the agency or its official portal, linked in the sources below. A site that adds a processing fee on top of the agency price is a reseller.
Nova Scotia licenses fresh water and leaves the sea free: no licence is needed to angle in tidal water, though seasons and bag limits still apply there, and the tidal boundaries are drawn by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The general licence covers every freshwater species except salmon, which need their own licence and are sold only online.
A resident aged 65 or over pays C$6.74 for the season, a quarter of the adult price, and teenagers aged 16 and 17 pay nothing. A one-day licence costs the same C$13.04 for residents and visitors, so a non-resident fishing three separate days pays more than the C$34.55 seasonal licence.
Nova Scotia asks only two months in the province before applying, where Saskatchewan asks three and Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia six. People born in Nova Scotia who own real estate there also count as residents, as do diplomats stationed in the province and RCMP and Canadian Armed Forces members stationed or born there.
Every licence comes with a report card that must be returned within seven days of the end of the season, even by anglers who caught nothing or did not fish. The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture uses the returns to follow catch trends across the province.
The Anglersβ Handbook says each general and salmon licence carries a C$5.91 Sportfish Habitat Fund fee, which has funded volunteer habitat restoration since 2005: riverbank planting, stream restoration and cool-water summer refuges. The fee pages do not say whether their prices already include it.
The seasonal General Fishing Licence is C$27.41 for residents aged 18 to 64, C$6.74 at 65 and over and C$34.55 for non-residents; a one-day licence is C$13.04 for anyone 18 or over. Ages 16 and 17 fish free.
No. No licence is needed in tidal or salt water, but federal and provincial seasons and bag limits apply.
Yes, but residents 65 and over pay a reduced C$6.74 for the season. Non-resident seniors pay C$34.55.
Online, or at one of 204 registered vendors, 20 of them Canadian Tire stores, or Access Nova Scotia. Vendors sell only the general licence; the salmon licence is sold online only.
Yes. The salmon licence costs residents C$41.68 for the season, 1 June to 31 October 2026, and is valid only for salmon.
A form every licence holder must send within 7 days of the end of the season, even with no catch. The province uses it to track fish catches.
Every Nova Scotia water on this site carries a daily report and links back to this page. The Nova Scotia hub has today's verdicts side by side; all Canada waters are filterable by type and species.