Title FGC, California Fish & Game Code

The following constitutes a marine life refuge and shall be designated as the Point Fermin Marine Life Refuge: That portion of District 19 consisting of land and ocean waters bounded by the line of mean high tide of the Pacific Ocean extending into and including the state waters …

The following constitutes a marine life refuge and shall be designated as the Niguel Marine Life Refuge: That portion of California state tide and submerged lands bounded by a line commencing at a point which is the intersection of the line of mean high tide and a line which is 2…

The following constitutes a marine life refuge and shall be designated as the Irvine Coast Marine Life Refuge: That portion of California state tide and submerged lands adjoining the Newport Beach Marine Life Refuge as described in Section 10905 and bounded by a line beginning at…

The land and ocean waters within the following boundaries constitute the City of Encinitas Marine Life Refuge: All those submerged lands lying between the mean high tide line in the City of Encinitas, County of San Diego, State of California, and a line which is 600 feet westerly…

It is the policy of the state to actively encourage the biologically sound management of fish and other wildlife resources on lands administered by the United States Department of Defense. The department may develop a program to implement this article in cooperation with the mili…

The department may coordinate and cooperate with all branches of the United States military service, Department of Defense, for the purpose of developing fish and wildlife management plans and programs on military installations. The plans and programs shall be designed to provide…

The commission may adopt regulations and authorize the department to enter into agreements with the United States Department of Defense for the administration of this article. (Added by Stats. 1986, Ch. 591, Sec. 1.)

(a) Upon approval of specific management plans and programs, which reflect the recommendations of the department, the commission may authorize actions and adopt regulations governing those actions pursuant to this article. (b) The provisions of Sections 457, 458, 459, and 460 do …

(a) In addition to a valid California sport fishing license and any applicable sport license stamp issued pursuant to this code, after January 1, 1993, a person taking steelhead trout in inland waters shall have in his or her possession a valid nontransferable steelhead trout fis…

(a) Revenue received pursuant to Section 7380 may be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, only to monitor, restore, or enhance steelhead trout resources consistent with Sections 6901 and 6902, and to administer the fishing report-restoration card program. The departme…

This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2027, and as of that date is repealed. (Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 72, Sec. 5. (SB 156) Effective July 2, 2024. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. Note: Repeal affects Article 6, commencing with Sectio…

Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, the definitions in this section govern the construction of this article. (a) “Dungeness crab” or “market crab” means crab of the species Cancer magister. (b) “Reconstruction” means major work on the hull of a vessel to make that…

Except as provided in Section 8276.2 or 8277: (a) Dungeness crab may be taken for commercial purposes in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 only between December 1 and July 15. (b) Dungeness crab may be taken for commercial purposes in all other districts only between November 15 and June …

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group” means the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group established by the department, in partnership with the Ocean Protection Council and the Nat…

(a) The director may order a delay in the opening of the Dungeness crab fishery after December 1 in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 in any year. The delay in the opening shall not be later than January 15 of any year. (b) (1) On or about November 1 of each year, the director may authori…

(a) If there is any delay ordered by the director pursuant to Section 8276.2 in the opening of the Dungeness crab fishery in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9, a vessel shall not take or land crab within Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 during any closure. (b) If there is any delay in the opening…

(a) The Ocean Protection Council shall make a grant, upon appropriation of funding by the Legislature, for the development and administration of a Dungeness crab task force. The membership of the Dungeness crab task force shall be comprised of all of the following: (1) Two nonvot…

(a) In consultation with the Dungeness crab task force, or its appointed representatives, the director shall adopt a program, by March 31, 2013, for Dungeness crab trap limits for all California permits. Unless the director finds that there is consensus in the Dungeness crab indu…

(a) The director may extend the Dungeness crab season in any district or part thereof. (b) Before extending the Dungeness crab season, the director shall consider written findings of the department regarding the state of the Dungeness crab resource in the district, or part thereo…

(a) Except as otherwise provided, no Dungeness crab less than six and one-quarter (614) inches in breadth, and no female Dungeness crab, may be taken, possessed, bought, or sold, except that not more than 1 percent in number of any load or lot of Dungeness crabs may be less than …

It is unlawful to sell any Dungeness crab taken in any of the following waters: (a) The Eel River and its tributaries between the Pacific Ocean and the west line of Sec. 35, T. 3 N., R. 1 W., H. B. & M. (b) The Pacific Ocean within a radius of one mile from the mouth of the Eel R…

(a) A person shall not take, possess onboard, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from a vessel in ocean waters for 30 days after the opening of those waters for the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season, if both of the following events have occurred: (1) The openin…

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the Dungeness crab fishery is important to the state because it provides a valuable food product, employment for those persons engaged in the fishery, and economic benefits to the coastal communities of the state. (b) The Legislature fu…

(a) A person shall not use a vessel to take, possess, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes using Dungeness crab traps authorized pursuant to Section 9011, unless the owner of that vessel has a Dungeness crab vessel permit for that vessel that has not been suspended or r…

(a) The owner of a Dungeness crab vessel, for purposes of this section, may include a person with a bona fide contract for the purchase of a vessel who otherwise meets all other qualifications for a Dungeness crab vessel permit. If a contract is found to be fraudulent or written …

(a) For purposes of this section, the term “length overall” means the horizontal distance between the forward-most and after-most points on the hull of a vessel. The length overall of a vessel does not include attachments fixed to the stern and bow. (b) Notwithstanding Article 9 …

(a) The commission may revoke the commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 of any person owning a fishing vessel engaging in the taking or landing of Dungeness crab by traps for which that person has not obtained a Dungeness crab vessel permit, and the commissio…

(a) The department shall charge a fee for each Dungeness crab vessel permit of two hundred dollars ($200) for a resident of California and four hundred dollars ($400) for a nonresident of California, for the reasonable regulatory costs of the department. (b) The department shall …

Notwithstanding Section 8280.1, the owner of a vessel, who has a Dungeness crab vessel permit for that vessel that has not been suspended or revoked, may contract for the use of a vessel that is registered pursuant to Section 7881 and for which a Dungeness crab vessel permit has …

Dungeness crab vessel permits are valid only in state waters and in the Pacific Ocean in federal waters south of the border with Oregon. (Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 297, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2007.)

Crab meat and frozen crab taken during the open season may be possessed, transported, and sold at any time, subject to the regulations of the commission. The cost of inspection and marking, under the regulations of the commission, shall be paid by the owner or seller of the crab …

(a) Subject to this article and Article 1 (commencing with Section 9000) of Chapter 4, and subject to the regulation of the commission authorized under subdivision (c), rock crab may be taken in traps in any waters of the state at any time, except in Districts 9, 19A, 19B, and 21…

Crab traps may be set and baited 64 hours before the opening date of the Dungeness crab season. Crab traps may be set and baited in advance of that opening date if no other attempt is made to take or possess Dungeness crab. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 757, Sec. 8. (SB 80) Effect…

(a) Subject to this article and Article 1 (commencing with Section 9000) of Chapter 4, crab traps, as described in Section 9011, may be used to take Dungeness crab for commercial purposes. Any fish may be taken incidentally in crab traps being used to take Dungeness crab. (b) Exc…

(a) The director may open waters that are otherwise restricted for the commercial take of Dungeness crab or rock crab pursuant to Section 5523 during a time period when the State Department of Public Health authorizes the manufacture, sale, delivery, holding, or offering for sale…

(a) In that part of District 112 comprising the waters of Francis Creek, Rees Creek, and Williams Creek, and in that part of District 138 comprising the waters of the Sawmill Pond, it is unlawful for any person over the age of 14 to take any fish. Not more than five fish may be t…

(a) Subject to appropriation pursuant to Section 3467, the director may enter into contracts with nonpublic entities which are owners of record, or with lessees, who have the owners of record execute the contract, of land determined by the director to be important for the conserv…

Each contract shall be for an initial term of 10 years and shall include all of the following: (a) The designation of the owner of record and any lessee, and the legal description and the assessor’s parcel number of the land subject to the contract. (b) An agreement by the owner …

(a) Not later than 20 days after the director has entered into a contract pursuant to this article, a copy of the contract particularly describing the subject habitat as required by subdivision (a) of Section 3461 shall be recorded by the department in the office of the county re…

The contract shall be automatically renewed in the same manner as contracts are renewed and extended, or noticed for nonrenewal, under the Williamson Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 51200) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code). Upon the request of the owner or …

(a) If during the contract period the owner or lessee is divested of the use of the waterfowl habitat subject to the contract, the owner or lessee shall notify the department concurrent with that divestment. Any unearned payment shall immediately be refunded by the owner or lesse…

The director and the owner or lessee may mutually agree to modify the terms and conditions of a contract under this article as the director may determine to be desirable to carry out the purposes of, or to facilitate administration of, the program. (Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 13…

The California Waterfowl Habitat Preservation Account is hereby created in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, and the money in the account shall be transferred to the Surplus Money Investment Fund for investment pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 16470) of Chapter 3…

The Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program Account is hereby created in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Moneys deposited in the Nesting Bird Habitat Incentive Program Account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the purposes of the…

(a) The director shall appoint a Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee consisting of nine members who shall serve without compensation. The members of the advisory committee shall be selected as follows: (1) Six members who are not officers or employees of the department. The s…

The following is a burro sanctuary: All that area within the following boundaries: Beginning at the point at which the northern boundary line of Death Valley National Monument intersects with the easterly boundary line of the State of California; Thence westerly along the norther…