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If you find a fossil on a Canadian shore, record its exact location, take photographs if safe and permitted, and check the rules for that province or territory and the manager of the specific site before touching, moving or collecting it. A fossil’s presence on a beach does not by itself mean it may be removed. British Columbia identifies public reporting routes; Parks Canada requires permits for research and collection on places it administers; and Newfoundland and Labrador restricts collecting in parks and ecological reserves, with additional controls at Mistaken Point.
Who should you contact about a fossil find?
There is no single reporting route established for every Canadian shoreline. First identify the province or territory and the land manager for the exact spot. The applicable rules may differ if the shore is private land, a park, an ecological reserve, another protected area, or a site administered by Parks Canada. The official guidance available for British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Parks Canada sites does not establish rules for every Canadian shore.
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| Where the find is | What the official guidance says | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | The provincial government asks members of the public to report fossil discoveries to the BC Fossil Management Office, the Royal BC Museum, or a local museum. | Use one of those reporting routes and check the land status and any applicable authorization before collecting. |
| A location administered by Parks Canada | Parks Canada requires permits for archaeological, natural, and social science research and collection activities in the places it administers, including national parks and other listed sites. | Ask Parks Canada about the exact site and proposed activity. A research or collection permit is not a general visitor permission to take fossils. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | The provincial fossil guidance says collecting is illegal in national and provincial parks and ecological reserves unless specially permitted. | Check the rules for the exact site and contact its managing authority before disturbing or removing anything. |
For a province or territory not covered here, check its current government fossil guidance and the site manager’s rules. Do not assume the approach used in British Columbia or Newfoundland and Labrador applies elsewhere.
What should you do when you find a fossil?
- Record the location. Note where the fossil is on a map or in a fieldbook, and take photographs if it is safe and permitted. Newfoundland and Labrador’s public fossil guidance recommends recording the location.
- Leave it in place while you check the rules. Do not excavate, chip, or remove it until you have confirmed what is allowed at that location. A significant fossil or a protected site may have specific restrictions.
- Contact the appropriate authority. In British Columbia, the named reporting options are the BC Fossil Management Office, Royal BC Museum, and local museums. Elsewhere, use the current provincial or territorial authority or the site manager.
- Follow site-specific directions. If the location may be protected or the fossil significant, use the site’s reporting instructions. Avoid publicizing sensitive location details until the authority advises you; the official guidance cited here does not set a Canada-wide rule about public posting.
How do the rules differ by location?
British Columbia: report finds and distinguish common fossils from significant ones
British Columbia allows only limited recreational surface collection of small amounts of common fossils in the circumstances described by the province, using hand tools. The province says significant fossils, including vertebrate fossils, must not be collected. It also says to report sites with vertebrate fossils or trackways, exceptional preservation or diversity, or important new sites to government. The specific boundaries of the limited allowance depend on the circumstances described in the provincial guidance; do not treat it as blanket permission to collect from any beach.
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The Government of British Columbia describes fossils as “part of the land’s natural heritage and are irreplaceable and non-renewable.” Before collecting even a common surface fossil, determine whether the land is private, within a park, or subject to another authorization.
Parks Canada locations: a permit is needed for research and collection
Parks Canada requires permits for research and collection activities in places it administers. Its permit requirement covers archaeological, natural, and social science research and collection, and the permits authorize activities that would otherwise be prohibited. Do not interpret this as permission for visitors to collect: confirm with Parks Canada whether the specific activity is authorized at the specific location.
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Newfoundland and Labrador: protected areas have collecting restrictions
The province’s fossil guidance notes that fossils can be found on beaches, while warning that collecting in national and provincial parks and ecological reserves is illegal unless a special permit applies. It also says that disturbing, destroying, or removing fossils in reserves is prohibited.
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At Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, public access to view fossils is by guided tour or permit only. Access to the fossil protection zone is generally restricted. These controls apply to this protected site; they should not be generalized to every Newfoundland and Labrador shoreline.
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- Warm Tips: each of our fossil sorting kit contains 9 different types of fossils, but the exact amount of each type of fossil cannot be guaranteed
Does an export rule mean you can collect or keep a fossil?
No. A federal export-control list sets categories and thresholds for specimens taken out of Canada; it does not grant permission to collect or keep a specimen. The list includes type fossils and fossil amber at any value, as well as the following other categories:
- A single vertebrate or invertebrate fossil specimen with a fair market value above $500.
- Bulk vertebrate fossil or vertebrate trace-fossil specimens weighing at least 11.25 kg (25 pounds).
- Specified bulk plant or invertebrate fossil material weighing at least 22.5 kg (50 pounds) from a specific outcrop, quarry, or locality.
These are export-control thresholds, not discovery statistics or collection allowances. Permission to collect, ownership, and permission to export are separate questions; check the applicable rules before taking a specimen across Canada’s border.
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What should you check before handling a find?
- Jurisdiction: Which province or territory contains the shoreline?
- Land manager: Is it private land, a park, an ecological reserve, another protected area, or a Parks Canada-administered location?
- Significance and protection: Could the fossil or site fall under a significant-fossil or protected-site restriction?
- Your intended action: Are you observing, documenting, reporting, conducting research, collecting, or exporting? Different rules can apply.
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