Friday is the deadline to have ice huts off in southwestern Saskatchewan.

Shelters can remain on the ice if located north of Highway 16 until the end of March, but if south of the Yellowhead Highway they have to be removed by March 15 or owners could be prosecuted.

Kevin Harrison, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Environment, said the deadlines are to keep people safe with the weather warming up and the ice conditions starting to become unstable.

"If shelters are not removed by those certain dates that we give out, owners can be prosecuted, and the structure and contents can be removed and confiscated," he said.

People located south of Highway 16 can still take their ice shacks out on the ice after the March 15 deadline, but they must be removed that same day.

And if ice huts break through the ice, the Ministry of Environment expects the owners to fish them out.

"Most shacks are built out of wood, so they're going to float to the shore at some point," Harrison said. "The first chance they can get it out of there, that's what we're going to need them to do."