Pippen reached out for confirmation on this subject from DFO. Below is the response he received so this will be the final word on this topic.
Hello,
Thank you for contacting the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
With regards to your question, after speaking to a fishery officer here is a quick rundown regarding possession limits and consuming your catch:
Your daily limit is your daily limit. Whether you consume it or not, if you catch your daily limit of something, you’re done for retention. Eating a fish
does not eliminate it from your daily limit.
And your possession limit is also just that – you can only possess that amount until you get the fish to your ordinary place of residence. Usually, the possession limit is twice the daily limit. Eating a fish
does eliminate it from your possession limit.
So as an example, if your daily limit for Coho is 2 and your possession limit is 4……..you could fish for 3 days like:
Day 1 – catch 2, eat 1
Day 2 – catch 2, eat 1
Day 3 – catch 2 – head home with 4 (which is your possession limit).
Then once your home, your possession limit goes to zero again.
Some species have annual limits. Those never get erased. If you can only catch 10 per year, you can only catch 10 per year…..regardless of what you do with them as long as you are staying within your daily/possession limits.
So with your question, you will be only to able to travel home with your possession limit for each species.
Hope this helps,
Edward Panis
Information Clerk
Communications Branch
Fisheries and Oceans Canada/Government of Canada
Edward.Panis@dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ Tel: 604-666-1704
Pêches et Océans Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Edward.Panis@dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ Tel: 604-666-1704