Nova Scotia general and salmon fishing licences. Read from Nova Scotia on 2026-09-25.
Recreational fishing in Nova Scotia’s inland waters for anglers 16 and over, with a separate salmon licence for Atlantic salmon. No licence is needed in tidal water.
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| General licence, seasonal, residents 18 to 64 | C$27.41 |
| General licence, seasonal, residents 65+ | C$6.74 |
| General licence, seasonal, non-residents 18+ | C$34.55 |
| General licence, seasonal, ages 16 and 17 | Free |
| General licence, one day, 18+ | C$13.04 |
| Salmon licence, seasonal, residents 18+ | C$41.68 |
| Salmon licence, seasonal, non-residents 18+ | C$156.08 |
| Salmon licence, seven days, non-residents 18+ | C$63.15 |
| Salmon licence, one day, 18+ | C$29.79 |
Prices in CAD as the agency publishes them; residency categories, and whether tax is included, vary by province and are noted below. Licences are valid from the date of issue to 31 March 2027; the 2026 salmon season licence runs from 1 June to 31 October 2026.
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.
Exemptions. Anglers 15 and under need no licence.
The anglers’ handbook mentions a C$5.91 Habitat Fund fee added to general and salmon licences; the licence pages do not say whether the prices above include it.
Online at the province’s sportfishing licence site, or from a licence vendor.
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.
Every angler 16 and over in Nova Scotia’s fresh water needs the general licence; for Atlantic salmon, on rivers such as the Margaree, a salmon licence is needed as well.
Nova Scotia has a single non-resident category, without the split between other Canadians and non-Canadians that most provinces use.
The province does not license fishing in tidal water; federal rules, set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, still apply there.
The anglers’ handbook mentions a Habitat Fund fee added to licences, and the licence pages read on 25 September 2026 do not say whether their prices include it; this page says so rather than guessing.
A seasonal general licence is C$27.41 for residents 18 to 64 and C$34.55 for non-residents; a one-day licence is C$13.04.
No, no licence is needed in tidal water; federal rules still apply.
C$41.68 for residents and C$156.08 for non-residents for the season, on top of the general licence.
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.