Title FGC — California Fish & Game Code

It is unlawful to sell or possess for sale any salmon, steelhead, or striped bass which were taken in California waters by the use of a gill net.

It is unlawful for any person to knowingly purchase any salmon, steelhead, or striped bass which were taken in California waters by the use of a gill net. For the purpose of this section, “person” includes a broker who purchases salmon, steelhead, or striped bass which were unlaw…

In Districts 11/2, 21/2, and in the Trinity and Klamath River District, it is unlawful to possess any gill or trammel net with meshes over 13/4 inches in length, except under regulations which may be prescribed by the commission. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

Except as otherwise provided in this code, drift gill nets may be used in Districts 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

In Districts 11, 12, and 13, gill nets may be used to take only herring, subject to Article 15 (commencing with Section 8550) of Chapter 2. No gill net may be possessed on any boat in Districts 11, 12, and 13, except by persons possessing a valid permit aboard boats specifically …

Set gill nets and trammel nets with mesh smaller than 41/8 inches shall not be used or possessed on any boat taking rockfish or lingcod in ocean waters between a line extending 245° magnetic from the most westerly point of the Point Reyes headlands and a line extending 250° magne…

Notwithstanding Section 8693, it is unlawful to use gill nets to take rockfish or lingcod in the following waters: (a) Between a line running 240° magnetic from Santa Cruz Point and a line running 240° magnetic from Point Sur lighthouse in Monterey County in waters 100 fathoms or…

(a) Not more than 1,250 fathoms (7,500 feet) of gill net or trammel net shall be fished in combination each day from any vessel for lingcod in ocean waters. (b) The Legislature finds and declares that this section, as amended by this act at the 1991–92 Regular Session of the Legi…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this code, drift gill nets and set gill nets may be used in Districts 17, 18, 19, and 20A, except for the taking of salmon. (b) Rockfish and lingcod may be taken with drift gill nets and set gill nets in Districts 17, 18, 19, and 20A, subject t…

In District 19A, gill nets may not be used, nor may they be possessed on any boat. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

Except as otherwise provided, set gill nets may be used south of a line extending 245° magnetic from the western point of the Point Reyes headlands in Marin County except for the taking of salmon.

Any line used on a gill net which shall tend to cause the webbing of such gill net to bag or hang slack shall cause such net to lose its identity as a gill net and become a trammel net. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

“Trammel net” includes entangling nets constructed of more than one wall of webbing. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 1, 2, and 3, trammel nets may not be possessed on any boat. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

(a) Except as otherwise provided, in Districts 10, 17, 18, and 19, drift and set trammel nets may be used if the meshes are at least 81/2 inches in length, except that these nets may not be used in District 18 within 750 feet of any pier or jetty, nor may they be used for the tak…

In District 19A, trammel nets may not be used, nor may they be possessed on any boat. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

As used in this article, “round haul nets” are circle seines, and include purse seines and ring or half ring, and lampara nets. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 1, 2, and 3, round haul nets may not be possessed on any boat, except in that part of District 3 lying within the boundaries of the Moss Landing Harbor District, where round haul or any other type of nets may be possessed on any boat, and except in that part of Distr…

In Districts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, round haul nets may be used.

(a) In Districts 16, 17, 18, and 19, round haul nets may be used, except that purse seines or ring nets may not be used in that portion of District 19 lying within three miles offshore from the line of the high-water mark along the coast of Orange County from sunrise Saturday to …

(a) In Districts 20A and 21, round haul nets may be used. (b) In District 20, round haul nets may be used, except (1) from sunrise Saturday to sunset Sunday, in the area from a line extending three nautical miles east magnetically from the extreme easterly end of Santa Catalina I…

Salmon, steelhead, striped bass, or shad may not be taken with round haul nets.

Notwithstanding Section 8661, and in addition to Sections 8754, 8755, and 8780, round haul nets may be used to take fish in those portions of Districts 19 and 20 that are closed to the use of round haul nets by Sections 8754 and 8755 and in Districts 19A and 19B, but only for use…

(a) As used in this chapter, the term “bait net” means a lampara or round haul type net, the mesh of which is constructed of twine not exceeding Standard No. 9 medium cotton seine twine or synthetic twine of equivalent size or strength. Notwithstanding Section 8757, except for dr…

The commission may, upon the recommendation of the department, adopt regulations governing the use of bait nets.

As used in this chapter, a “beach net” is any net hauled from the water to the beach or shore, and includes beach seines and haul seines. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 1, 2, and 3, beach nets may not be possessed on any boat. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 8 and 9, beach nets may be used. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In District 10, beach nets may be used, the meshes of which are at least 11/2 inches in length. In that portion of District 10 lying south of Pt. Lobos, beach nets not over 20 feet in length, the meshes of which are at least seven-eighths of an inch in length, may be used to take…

In District 11, beach nets may be used. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 12 and 13, beach nets may not be possessed on any boat.

In District 18, beach nets may not be used. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In District 19, beach nets, the meshes of which are at least 11/2 inches in length, may be used to take smelt between September 1st and January 31st. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

“Trawl net” means a cone or funnel-shaped net which is towed or drawn through the water by a fishing vessel and includes any gear appurtenant to the net. Except as otherwise provided in this article, the use of trawl nets shall conform to federal groundfish regulations adopted pu…

It is unlawful for any person to use any trawl net with meshes which are less than 41/2 inches in length except as provided in this article or as provided by federal groundfish regulations adopted pursuant to the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C., Sec. 1…

Trawl nets and Chinese shrimp nets may be used in marine and brackish waters inside of the Golden Gate Bridge to take shrimp, oriental gobies, longjaw mudsuckers, plainfin midshipmen, and staghorn sculpin only in accordance with regulations which the commission may prescribe.

(a) In Districts 4, 19, 19A, 20, 20A, and 21, trawl nets or dragnets may not be possessed. (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section, trawl nets and dragnets may be possessed, under such regulations as the commission shall prescribe, in Districts 4, 19…

It is unlawful to take or possess more than 500 pounds of crabs on any boat on which any type of trawl or drag net is carried or operated.

It is unlawful for any person to possess salmon on board, or to land salmon from, a vessel on which exists any type of trawl net, except that salmon taken incidentally with other species with a trawl net may be possessed and landed if authorized to be taken incidentally pursuant …

South of a line extending due west, true, from Point Reyes, it is unlawful for any person on a vessel on which any type of trawl or drag net is carried or operated to take or possess Dungeness crab, as defined in Section 8275, or to transfer Dungeness crab to another vessel.

In Districts 6, 7, and 10, trawl nets may be used in waters not less than three nautical miles from the nearest point of land on the mainland shore. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

In Districts 17, 18, and 118.5, trawl nets may be used in waters not less than three nautical miles from the nearest point of land on the mainland shore, including those portions of Monterey Bay, Estero Bay, and San Luis Obispo Bay which lie within those districts. (Enacted by St…

It is unlawful to use or possess any trawl net that includes any bag or cod-end or modification thereof, other than a bag or cod-end of a single layer of webbing, except as authorized by Section 8496 or by the commission.

Chafing gear may be used or possessed but shall not be connected directly to the terminal, or closed, end of the cod-end. Except for chafing gear prescribed under federal groundfish regulations adopted pursuant to the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C., S…

(a) The commission is hereby granted authority over all state-managed bottom trawl fisheries not managed under a federal fishery management plan pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1801 et seq.) or a state fishery management pl…

(a) Trawl nets of a design prescribed by the commission may be used or possessed to take shrimps or prawns under a permit issued by the department under regulations adopted by the commission. Sections 8831, 8833, 8835, and 8836 do not apply to trawl nets used or possessed under a…

It is unlawful to use any trawl net with cod-end mesh less than 71/2 inches in length and with a cod end less than 29 meshes long and a circumference of not less than 47 meshes in waters lying between one and three nautical miles from the mainland shore between a line running due…

Dip nets may be used subject to the following restrictions: (a) In Districts 1, 11/2, 2, 3, and 4, dip nets may not be baited, and may not measure more than six feet in greatest breadth. (b) In District 19, hand-held dip nets 30 feet or less in greatest breadth may be used. In th…

Baited hoop nets not to exceed three feet in diameter may be used at any time in that portion of District 18 lying south of a line running east and west through Point Arguello and in District 19, to take rock crabs, red crabs, and yellow crabs only. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 4…