The 2026 Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary is now available! Digital copies can be viewed online or as a PDF download.
An annual guide to the rules and regulations for recreational fishing in Ontario. It contains information about recreational fishing licences, open seasons and catch limits, as well as up-to-date fishing regulations for each fishing zone. Effective January 1, 2026.
Learn more at fishing notices and updates.
2026 IAGLR-SCAS Joint Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Theme: Connected Waters: Bridging Communities & Ideas
The October 2025 Mainstream Newsletter (Volume 41, Issue 1) is now available from the North Central Division website.
The winner of the Al Dextrase Award for Best Student Poster Presentation at the 2025 AFS-OC Annual Meeting was Jacob Lasci from University of Western Ontario. Jacob (right) received his award from Ontario Chapter President Silviya Ivanova (left) and Vice President Connor Reid (middle). His poster was titled “Effects of introduced salmonids on native Lake Trout in Lake Huron” and the abstract is available in the 2025 Joint OCTWS AFS-OC Conference Program.
The recipient of the E.J. Crossman Award for Best Student Oral Presentation at the 2025 AFS-OC Annual Meeting was Raegan Davis from Carleton University. Raegan (middle) received her award from Ontario Chapter President Silviya Ivanova (right) and Vice President Connor Reid (left). Her presentation was titled “Dam it, I’m stranded: Evaluating fish stranding downstream of a hydropeaking facility on the Michipicoten River, ON” and the abstract is available in the 2025 Joint OCTWS AFS-OC Conference Program.
A synopsis of the 2024 AFS-OC Annual Meeting and Conference held January 26–28 at Bayview Wildwood Resort, in Severn Bridge has been posted. See photos, poster presentations and review highlights of the event.
The results of the 2025-26 Ontario Chapter Executive Committee election are official. Thank you to all candidates and congratulations to those elected. As per our bylaws, all Ontario Chapter members were eligible to vote and officers were elected by a majority of ballots cast. Each member was permitted to cast one vote. A total of 23 members participated in the election, representing approximately 24% of the membership.
Raegan Davis was elected to the position of President-Elect with 100% of the vote. The term of office for President-Elect is one year, leading to the position of President in 2026-27, and Past-President the following year.
Gabriela Carew was elected to the position of Vice President with 100% of the vote. The term for the position of Vice President is at least one year; however, it is preferred to serve more than one term.
AFS 2026, Columbus, Ohio
Theme: The heart of stainability: Habitat as the foundation of productive fisheries
A link to AFS Beneath the Surface, a deep dive into the programs and people at the American Fisheries Society, has been added to the Links page under the American Fisheries Society category. Available on all major podcast platforms. See all episodes at https://americanfisheriessociety.podbean.com/.
AUTHOR(S): Canadian Ecological Data Sustainability Team
CITATION: CEDST. 2025. The Imperative of Data Management in Aquatic Habitat Science: A Call to Action. White paper of the Canadian Ecological Data Sustainability Team. 15 pp. + Apps. https://sites.google.com/ontariotechu.net/sosmart/home/other-external-reports-and-studies?authuser=0
The Mid-Canada Chapter of the AFS presents a seminar featuring Doug Watkinson from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Doug will be discussing his work on species at risk in the Milk River, Alberta. The seminar is on Nov 27 at 2:00 pm Central.
Register at
https://midcanada.fisheries.org/mcc-seminar-doug-watkinson/
