Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Resources
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Responsible for food harvest, hunting, inland and coastal recreational fisheries, wildlife stewardship, harvest access, and conservation rules that keep fish and game available to the people.
Mandate
The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries administers the Republic’s food-harvest framework for fish and game. Its work balances public access, conservation, Indigenous rights, local knowledge, and practical rural and coastal life.
Core principle: fish and game are a public inheritance to be used responsibly by the population and stewarded for future generations.
Services
- hunting, fishing, trapping, and food-harvest policy;
- seasons, limits, conservation closures, and public guidance;
- wildlife and fish population monitoring;
- support for household harvest, community sharing, and accessibility assistance;
- coordination with Indigenous communities, local associations, and coastal communities.
Laws and Regulations
The Act recognises food harvest, prohibits private sale of personally harvested game meat or fish, allows harvesting assistance for those physically unable to hunt or fish, and sets conservation guardrails.
Wild Life and Fisheries Regulations
The regulations set species schedules, seasons, bag limits, possession limits, food-fishery rules, snaring requirements, and assisted-harvest rules.
Migratory Birds Convention Act
The Act implements Newfoundland’s shared treaty obligations with Canada and the United States for migratory birds, while preserving lawful hunting, food harvest, Indigenous rights, and proportional enforcement.
Contact
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Resources
St. John’s, Republic of Newfoundland
Tel: +1-709-555-9173