How to Start a Marina Business in Canada
Start a marina business in Canada: secure water access and shoreline permission first, build docks and fuel handling to the safety rules, and earn through slips, storage, and service.
How to Start a Fishing Charter Business in Canada
How to start a fishing charter business in Canada: SVOP certification, vessel registration, fishing licences, and provincial guiding rules.
Applies in: CA
The short answer
A fishing charter business in Canada is three licences stacked on one boat: a Transport Canada operator certificate for you, a commercial registration for the vessel, and a sport fishing licence for every person who fishes. The exact fishing-licence layer depends on the water. In BC tidal (salt) water, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) runs the licence system. In BC freshwater, the province runs it — and you need your own angling guide licence on top of your clients' licences. Other provinces run their own guiding and outfitter systems, so confirm the provincial layer where you will actually operate before you spend money on a boat.
Step 1: Pick your water and your model
The first decision fixes which licence system you live under:
- Tidal (salt) water, BC coast. DFO manages the recreational fishery. Your clients buy the federal BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence. There is no provincial angling guide licence for tidal waters.
- Freshwater, BC. The province manages angling. You need a BC angling guide licence to guide clients, and each client needs a BC freshwater fishing licence.
- Other provinces and territories. The federal/provincial split still applies — DFO sets recreational rules in tidal waters and the province or territory runs freshwater licensing and guiding — but the names, fees and application routes differ. Check the provincial fish and wildlife pages for the province you will operate in.
- Atlantic Canada. Charter fishing there is mostly tidal, so start with DFO's recreational fishing rules for the region and the province's guiding or outfitter requirements, where they exist.
Also decide what you are selling: a boat you operate with clients aboard (a charter), or a lodge or shore-based guiding service. This guide covers the boat charter. A lodge adds accommodation and food-service rules that are outside it.
Step 2: Get certified to operate the boat
A Pleasure Craft Operator Card — the card recreational boaters carry — is not valid for commercial use. For a small charter boat, the usual Transport Canada credential is the Small Vessel Operator Proficiency (SVOP) training certificate:
- It lets you operate a small non-pleasure vessel of up to 5 gross tonnage (except tugs), and a fishing vessel of up to 15 gross tonnage or 12 metres overall length, in near coastal, class 2 and sheltered waters.
- The course is 26 hours, usually over 4 days, at a Transport Canada recognized training institution, and ends with a 50-question multiple-choice exam with a 70% pass mark. There is no challenge-exam option: you must complete the approved course.
- You must be at least 18 years old to use the certificate. You do not need a marine medical certificate to use it.
Larger vessels, or voyages beyond near coastal class 2, need a higher certificate — check with Transport Canada Marine Safety before you buy a boat that outgrows SVOP. Also ask your training institution which additional certificates your operation needs, such as Small Domestic Vessel – Basic Safety, a Restricted Operator Certificate – Maritime for the VHF radio, and Marine Basic First Aid: the certificate set depends on your vessel and voyage, and no single official page states the full set.
Step 3: Register the vessel for commercial use
A boat that carries paying passengers is a commercial vessel, not a pleasure craft:
- Commercial vessels go on Transport Canada's Small Vessel Register. A pleasure craft licence does not cover commercial use, and a vessel on the register does not hold a pleasure craft licence — they are different documents.
- Confirm the registration threshold and the application form on Transport Canada's vessel registration pages before you buy: the register generally covers commercial vessels up to 15 gross tonnage powered by a motor of at least 7.5 kW (10 horsepower).
- Transport Canada also runs the Small Vessel Compliance Program, which walks small commercial vessel operators through safety equipment, inspection and crew requirements. Enrolment is a useful check that the boat is compliant before your first paying trip.
Buy the boat against the certificate you hold: a vessel over 5 gross tonnage (or a fishing vessel over 15 gross tonnage) takes you outside what SVOP covers.
Step 4: Sort the fishing licences — yours and your clients'
This is where charter operators most often get caught, because the licences belong to the angler, not the boat.
BC tidal waters — your clients' licences. All recreational fishers must hold a licence to harvest fish and shellfish in BC tidal waters, at all ages. The BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence is bought online through DFO's National Recreational Licensing System, or from an Independent Access Provider (a retail outlet, charter, lodge or marina authorized to sell them). Annual licences run April 1 to March 31 and prices exclude GST. For 2026-27:
| Licence | Canadian resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | $25.86 ($13.54 at 65 and over) | $124.41 |
| 1-day | $6.46 | $8.62 |
Three-day and five-day licences also exist — check the price on the DFO licence page before you quote it. Anyone keeping a salmon needs the Salmon Conservation Stamp ($7.39) added to the licence. DFO does not refund licences or change their dates, so check the fishing year before paying. As a charter, you can apply to become an Independent Access Provider yourself, so you can issue licences to clients on the spot.
BC freshwater — your licence. To guide anglers in BC freshwater you need a provincial angling guide licence. You must hold at least $2,000,000 in public liability insurance for your guiding business, pass the Angling Guide Exam with at least 80%, hold a Fish and Wildlife ID in the WILD system, and file an angling guide operating plan describing your business and the waters you propose to guide on. The 1-year licence costs $400 plus a $50 Habitat Conservation Trust Fund surcharge, payable at application. If you use an assistant guide, they need an assistant angling guide licence.
Do not confuse the angling guide licence with the guide outfitter licence. The guide outfitter licence is for guiding hunters in an exclusive guide area: $500 for 1 year or $2,000 for 5 years, plus a $25 application fee for new applicants, with the same $2,000,000 liability insurance and an 80% exam pass. It is not a fishing licence.
Catch rules ride along. Tidal and freshwater fisheries both carry area closures, daily limits, size limits and catch-recording rules that change in-season. Check the current DFO sport fishing guide and fishery notices for your area before every trip, and record catches of chinook salmon, halibut and lingcod in ink on the licence where the rules require it.
Step 5: Register the business and insure it
- Business number. Register the business and get a CRA business number before you take bookings — see our guide to getting a business number in Canada.
- Municipal business licence. Most municipalities where you embark passengers require a business licence, and some have a fishing-charter supplement asking for vessel names, passenger capacity and moorage locations. Check the municipality where your clients board, not just where you live.
- Liability insurance. Your guiding licence already requires $2,000,000 in public liability insurance in BC freshwater. Carriers and marinas commonly ask for the same limit for tidal charters, so carry it even where no licence rule sets it.
- Workers' compensation. If you hire deckhands or assistant guides, register with your provincial workers' compensation board — see our guide to registering for workers' compensation in Canada.
- Record-keeping. Keep trip logs, licence numbers, catch records and maintenance records. If DFO officers board you, the licence and the catch record are the first things they ask for.
What the launch costs
The fixed government fees are small; the boat is the cost. The licence and certificate fees are in the fee table above. Insurance premiums vary by vessel, area and claims history and are quoted per operator, so get quotes before you budget — no premium figure is given here because none could be verified on an official page. A used charter-suitable boat, safety equipment, moorage and the SVOP course are the lines that move the total, and all four should be priced before you commit.
Figures are current as of November 2026. Licence fees change each April, and fishery rules change in-season — confirm fees and the current rules on the DFO and provincial pages before you book a trip.
Related guides
- How to get a fishing licence in British Columbia — the client side of the BC licence system: the freshwater licence your freshwater clients need.
- How to get a fishing licence in Ontario — the Ontario companion: residency categories, Sport and Conservation licences, and zone rules.
- How to start getting a Pleasure Craft Operator Card in Canada — the recreational card, and why it does not cover commercial charter work.
- How to get a business number in Canada — the CRA business number behind the charter business.
- How to get a business licence in Richmond, BC — what a municipal business licence application looks like in a BC coastal city.
- How to register for workers' compensation in Canada — the provincial board registration you need once you hire deckhands.
Starting a fishing charter business in Canada, in five steps
- Pick your water and your modelDecide tidal or freshwater, and which province you will operate in — the licence system changes completely between the two.
- Get your operator certificateComplete the SVOP course: 26 hours over 4 days, a 50-question exam, 70% to pass, and you must be at least 18.
- Register the vessel for commercial useA commercial boat goes on Transport Canada's Small Vessel Register — a pleasure craft licence does not cover carrying paying passengers.
- Sort the fishing licencesEvery client needs their own sport fishing licence, and in BC freshwater you need an angling guide licence of your own.
- Register the business and insure itGet a CRA business number, a municipal business licence where you embark passengers, and liability cover before your first paying trip.
BC fishing licence fees a charter operator needs to know, 2026-27
| BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence, annual, Canadian resident | $25.86 |
|---|---|
| BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence, annual, resident 65 and over | $13.54 |
| BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence, annual, non-resident | $124.41 |
| BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence, 1-day, resident / non-resident | $6.46 / $8.62 |
| Salmon Conservation Stamp (to keep any salmon) | $7.39 |
| BC angling guide licence, 1 year, plus Habitat Conservation Trust Fund surcharge | $400 + $50 |
Tidal licence fees are from Fisheries and Oceans Canada for 2026-27 and exclude GST. Annual licences run April 1 to March 31. The angling guide licence fee is from the Province of British Columbia.
Questions people ask
Do I need a commercial licence to run fishing charters in Canada?
Yes, several. You need a Transport Canada operator certificate (usually SVOP) to run the boat commercially, the vessel registered for commercial use, and the fishing licences for the water you fish in. In BC freshwater you also need a provincial angling guide licence. Your clients each need their own sport fishing licence — your licences do not cover them.
What is SVOP and how do I get it?
SVOP is the Small Vessel Operator Proficiency training certificate from Transport Canada. It lets you operate a small non-pleasure vessel of up to 5 gross tonnage (or a fishing vessel up to 15 gross tonnage or 12 metres) in near coastal, class 2 and sheltered waters. The course is 26 hours over about 4 days at a Transport Canada recognized training institution, ends with a 50-question multiple-choice exam with a 70% pass mark, and you must be at least 18 to use the certificate. No marine medical certificate is needed to use it.
Does my pleasure craft licence cover a charter boat?
No. A pleasure craft licence is for recreational use. A boat used commercially — carrying paying passengers — belongs on Transport Canada's Small Vessel Register. Confirm the registration threshold and the application form on Transport Canada's vessel registration pages before you buy a boat for the business.
Who needs a fishing licence on my charter?
Every person who fishes needs their own licence, at every age. In BC tidal waters that is the federal BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence, bought online through Fisheries and Oceans Canada's National Recreational Licensing System or from an Independent Access Provider — a tackle shop, marina, lodge or charter authorized to sell them. Children under 16 still need a licence, though theirs is free. Anyone keeping a salmon also needs the Salmon Conservation Stamp.
Do I need a guide licence to take clients fishing in BC?
In BC freshwater, yes: you need a provincial angling guide licence. You must hold at least $2,000,000 in public liability insurance for your guiding business, pass the Angling Guide Exam with at least 80%, hold a Fish and Wildlife ID, and file an angling guide operating plan for the waters you will guide on. The 1-year licence costs $400 plus a $50 Habitat Conservation Trust Fund surcharge. In BC tidal waters there is no provincial angling guide licence; the federal rules and your operator certificate govern instead.
What is the difference between a guide outfitter licence and an angling guide licence in BC?
They cover different activities. A guide outfitter licence is for guiding hunters, not anglers: it licences guiding resident and non-resident hunters in an exclusive guide area, costs $500 for 1 year or $2,000 for 5 years plus a $25 application fee for new applicants, and also requires $2,000,000 in public liability insurance and an 80% exam pass. Do not buy a guide outfitter licence for a fishing charter — for freshwater fishing guiding you need the angling guide licence.
Sources
- Small Vessel Operator Proficiency (Transport Canada) — SVOP scope, 26-hour course, 50-question exam, 70% pass mark, age 18, no marine medical certificate.
- Learn about and apply for a recreational fishing licence, Pacific Region (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) — BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing licence fees, who needs a licence, how to buy one.
- Frequently Asked Questions for Independent Access Providers, BC Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Guide (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) — charters as Independent Access Providers, licence sales to clients.
- Apply for an angling guide licence (Province of British Columbia) — angling guide licence fee, $2,000,000 liability insurance, 80% exam pass, operating plan.
- Guide outfitter licence (Province of British Columbia) — guide outfitter licence fees and requirements, for hunting — not fishing.
- Marine craft operator certification (WorkSafeBC) — SVOP coverage: commercial vessels up to 5 tonnes, fishing vessels up to 15 tonnes.
- Vessel Safety (Simon Fraser University) — Small Vessel Register threshold and Small Vessel Compliance Program.