Pandemic reels Nova Scotians into the world of sport fishing

A near-record-breaking number of Nova Scotians were reeled into the world of sport fishing during the pandemic.

About 79,000 general sport fishing licences were sold in the province in 2021, the most since 1985. Nova Scotia residents bought 97 per cent of licences  — the highest percentage of in-province sales Canada-wide.

Andrew Lowles, Nova Scotia's manager of resource management for the inland fisheries department, said the pandemic played a role in this increase.

"During the pandemic, outdoor recreation was pushed by the health department and sport fishing was a great way to exercise and get on the water," Lowles said.

"I think a lot of people came back to fishing after being away from it for years."

Matt Szeto runs a guiding service on Kinsac Lake and the Stewiacke River north of Halifax. He's fished for more than 30 years and has never seen this many Nova Scotians casting their lines. 

"When I started fishing the Stewiake you'd hardly see anyone there, now you see hundreds of people," Szeto said.

The increased local interest has been great for his business.

"It's been very busy this year. I've actually had to turn away a lot of people," Szeto said about his service on the Stewiacke River.

"I actually gave a couple clients to another guide and now he is fully booked, too."

Shift towards online licensing

General sport fishing licences allow fishermen to catch all freshwater species other than the Atlantic salmon which has a specific licence.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the province established an online system for both general and salmon licences in addition to the hundreds of licence vendors in stores and government offices throughout the province. 

Szeto says the convenience of being able to get a licence in minutes while not leaving home got more people on Nova Scotia's rivers and lakes.

"A lot of places are sold out and the department of natural resource offices are closed on the weekends," Szeto said.

"I had some guys come in from New Brunswick who were astonished that they could get a licence in five minutes."

Nova Scotia's department of fisheries and aquaculture wants to make the province a sport fishing hub.

Growing sport-fishing industry

 A new program called Fish Nova Scotia was launched in 2020. Its goal is to promote and increase sport fishing opportunities in Nova Scotia to residents and visitors and to enhance Nova Scotia's reputation as an attractive travel destination. 

In 2021, sport fishing contributed over $70 million to the provincial economy through services ranging from accommodation to tackle buying. 

Larry Shortt has worked at Fishing Fever in Halifax for 20 years. He says business has increased during the pandemic, but now the shop is struggling to stock certain equipment due to global supply chain problems.   

"It's frustrating because you want to help people get into a really great sport," Shortt said. "The whole family can go do this and it's kind of frustrating at times that you don't have materials to get them started in the right direction."

Shortt hopes it will become easier for fishing stores to get equipment soon so the sport can continue to grow in the province.