Title FGC — California Fish & Game Code

It is the policy of the state that the department and commission use ecosystem-based management informed by credible science in all resource management decisions to the extent feasible. It is further the policy of the state that scientific professionals at the department and comm…

It is the policy of the state as follows: (a) That the department and the commission seek to create, foster, and actively participate in effective partnerships and collaborations with other agencies and stakeholders to achieve shared goals and to better integrate fish and wildlif…

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the director is the appointing power of all employees within the department, and all employees in the department are responsible to the director for the proper carrying out of the duties and responsibilities of their respective posi…

(a) For purposes of this section, “eligible renewable energy resources” has the same meaning as in the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code). (b) The depar…

The provisions of Chapter 2 (commencing at Section 11150) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code shall govern and apply to the conduct of the department in every respect. Whenever in that chapter the term “head of the department” or similar designation occurs, …

It is the duty of the attorney for the department to act as counsel in defense of any officer or deputy of the department in any suit for damages brought against the officer or deputy on account of injuries to persons or property alleged to have been received as a result of the n…

A nonprofit organization designated by the department to assist in the sale of deer, elk, antelope, or bighorn sheep fundraising tags that are sold on behalf of the department for the purpose of raising funds for specified programs and projects, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Sec…

The Legislature finds and declares that the department has in the past not been adequately funded to meet its mandates. The principal causes have been the fixed nature of the department’s revenues in contrast with the rising costs resulting from inflation, the increased burden on…

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the department continues to be inadequately funded to meet its mandates. While revenues have been declining, the department’s responsibilities have increased in order to protect public trust resources in the face of increasing populatio…

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The department continues to face serious funding instability due to revenue declines from traditional user fees and taxes and the addition of new and expanded program responsibilities. (2) Historically, the recreati…

The provisions of this part apply to the taking and possession of fish for any purpose other than commercial. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure adequate funding from appropriate sources for the department. To this end, the Legislature finds and declares that: (1) The costs of nongame fish and wildlife programs shall be provided annually in the Budget Act by appropriating …

(a) The expenditure of all federal grant moneys made available to the state pursuant to the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 669 et seq.) shall be consistent with that act. (b) In applying for federal grant moneys available pursuant to the Federal Aid in Wi…

(a) For purposes of this code, unless the context otherwise requires, “project” has the same meaning as defined in Section 21065 of the Public Resources Code. (b) For purposes of this article, “person” includes any individual, firm, association, organization, partnership, busines…

(a) The department shall impose and collect a filing fee in the amount prescribed in subdivision (d) to defray the costs of managing and protecting fish and wildlife trust resources, including, but not limited to, consulting with other public agencies, reviewing environmental doc…

(a) The fish and wildlife resources are held in trust for the people of the state by and through the department. (1) Insofar as state wildlife trust resources exist and depend upon federal proprietary lands or federal land and water adjacent to or affecting state trust resources,…

(a) The commission may establish by regulation an automatic process to conform its sport fishing regulations to federal regulations. (b) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to conforming actions impl…

(a) The department shall identify property it owns or manages that includes areas for sport fishing accessible to persons with disabilities. (b) Commencing with the booklet of sport fishing regulations published by the commission in 1986, the availability of sport fishing areas, …

It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Finance shall include in the Governor’s Budget sufficient moneys from the General Fund and sources other than the Fish and Game Preservation Fund to pay the costs of the department’s nongame programs, including those nece…

(a) (1) The department’s mission is to manage California’s diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment of the public. (2) The department’s core programs are the following: (A) Ma…

It is unlawful for any person to possess more than one daily bag limit of any fish, amphibian, or reptile taken under a license issued pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 7145) unless authorized by regulations adopted by the commission.

Except as otherwise provided by this code or by regulation, it is unlawful to sell or purchase any fish or amphibia taken in, or brought into, the waters of the state, or brought ashore at any point in the state. It is unlawful to buy, sell, or possess in any place of business wh…

The department shall develop a voluntary participation program for the use of departmental observers on board vessels to monitor the taking of marlin by sportfishermen. The department shall, in accordance with Section 1012, procure insurance against the liability of the owners or…

(a) The changes in the Implicit Price Deflator for State and Local Government Purchases of Goods and Services, as published by the United States Department of Commerce, shall be used as the index to determine an annual rate of increase or decrease in the fees for licenses, stamps…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit shall first obtain a valid license for that purpose and shall have that license on his or her person or in his or he…

The owner or operator of a boat or vessel licensed pursuant to Section 7920 shall not permit any person to fish from that boat or vessel unless that person has, in his or her possession, a valid California sport fishing license and any required stamp, report card, or validation i…

(a) A sport fishing license granting the privilege to take any fish, reptile, or amphibian anywhere in this state for purposes other than profit shall be issued to any of the following: (1) A resident, 16 years of age or older, for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued aft…

(a) In addition to Section 7149.05, the department shall issue a lifetime sport fishing license under this section. A lifetime sport fishing license authorizes the taking of fish, amphibians, or reptiles anywhere in this state in accordance with the law for purposes other than pr…

Notwithstanding Section 7149.05, a sport fishing license is not required for a resident to take a rattlesnake (genus Crotalus or Sistrurus).

(a) It is unlawful for any person to fish with two rods without first obtaining a second-rod sport fishing validation, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license validation, and having that validation affixed to his or her valid sport fishing license. Any person who …

For the purpose of obtaining a sport fishing license, enrollees in the Job Corps, created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-452), shall be deemed to be residents of California.

Notwithstanding Section 7145, the director may designate not more than two days, which may or may not be consecutive, in each year as free sportfishing days during which residents and nonresidents may, without having a sportfishing license and without the payment of any fee, exer…

(a) A person shall not take abalone from ocean waters unless he or she first obtains, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license and any applicable license validation or stamp issued pursuant to this code, an abalone report card, and maintains that report card in his…

(a) Fees received by the department pursuant to Section 7149.8 shall be deposited in the Abalone Restoration and Preservation Account within the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, which is hereby created. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in the accou…

(a) The director, in consultation with the Natural Resources Agency, shall establish a formal program, which may be called the Science Institute, to assist the department and commission in obtaining independent scientific review, and recommendations to help inform the scientific …

(a) Upon application to the department’s headquarters office in Sacramento and payment of a base fee of four dollars ($4), as adjusted pursuant to Section 713, the following persons, who have not been convicted of any violation of this code, shall be issued a reduced fee sport fi…

(a) Upon application to the department, the following persons, if they have not been convicted of any violation of this code, shall be issued, free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing license, that authorizes the licensee to take any fish, reptile, or amphibian anywhere in this…

(a) A sport fishing license is not required to take fish by any legal means, for any purpose other than profit, from a public pier, as defined by the commission, in the ocean waters of the state, or while angling at an aquaculture facility site that is registered pursuant to Sect…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, California Indians who are bona fide registered members of the Yurok Indian Tribe may take fish, for subsistence purposes only, from the Klamath River between the mouth of that river and the junction of Tectah Creek with it, exclu…

(a) Any person taking fish or amphibia for purposes other than profit from or on a boat or other floating device on the waters of the Colorado River or on adjacent waters, except canals, drains, or ditches used to transport water used for irrigation or domestic purposes, shall ha…

(a) A person fishing from the shore in the waters of the Colorado River located in Arizona or California shall have in their possession a valid sportfishing license issued by the state that has jurisdiction over that shore. (b) This section applies only to licenses, permits, rese…

(a) The Arizona Game and Fish Commission shall handle California sportfishing licenses and California special use validations and issue them through Arizona license dealers. Prior to August 31 of each year, that commission shall make an audit report and send a remittance for thos…

(a) An Arizona special use validation is valid from January 1 to December 31, inclusive, of each year, to coincide with the period for which a California sportfishing license is issued. (b) A California special use validation is valid for one year to coincide with the period for …

This article shall become operative and remain effective so long as the commission finds and determines that under the laws of the State of Arizona substantially similar Arizona licenses are authorized to be issued to licensees of the State of California upon substantially the sa…

(a) When the director determines from the Secretary of State that copies of the law of the State of Arizona have been received by the Secretary of State that provides for an Arizona resident sportfishing license valid for a period of less than one year, a California special use v…

(a) Subject to Section 7121, fish lawfully taken under a sport fishing license may be canned or smoked by a fish cannery or processor as a service for a licensed sport fisherman. (b) Any cannery or packing plant in which fish that have been taken under a sport fishing license are…

(a) Notwithstanding Section 7121 any offal from a fish taken under a sport fishing license which is delivered by the license holder to a fish canner or fish processor may be processed, used, or sold by that fish canner or fish processor. (b) Nothing in this section authorizes a h…

The provisions of this part apply to the taking and possession of fish for any commercial purpose. This part does not apply to activities governed under Division 12 (commencing with Section 15000).

“Owner” or “vessel owner” means the person or persons designated as the registered owner of a vessel on a certificate of documentation issued by the United States Coast Guard or on a copy of the vessel registration issued by the vessel registration agency of the state where the o…

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation establishing a comprehensive program to allow California groundfish fishermen to participate in any federally established buy-back program for the Pacific groundfish fishery.