Fishing Traps in California

Section 9000 prohibits a person from using a trap to take any finfish, mollusk, or crustacean in the waters of this state for commercial purposes. Traps may be used to take finfish in ocean waters only as authorized by this article.

Section 9000.5 defines the following terms: “bucket trap,” “deeper nearshore specifies,” “general trap permit,” “Korean trap,” “nearshore species,” and “popup.”

Section 9001 prohibits finfish, mollusks, or crustaceans from being taken by a person with traps for commercial purposes in ocean waters except under a valid general trap permit issued to that person that has not been suspended or revoked.

Section 9001.6 allows hagfish to be taken under a general trap permit, if all four of the specified criteria are met.

Section 9001.7 allows finfish to be taken under a general trap permit if all of the ten specified criteria are also met.

Section 9001.8 allows sablefish to be taken under a general trap permit in ocean waters between a line extending due west true from Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County and the United States-Mexico international boundary line, if all four the specified criteria are also met.

Section 9002 makes it unlawful to willfully or recklessly disturb, move, or damage any trap that belongs to another person and that is marked with a buoy identification number.

Section 9002.5 requires the department, in consultation with the Dungeness crab task force, to establish a retrieval program to provide for the retrieval of lost or abandoned commercial Dungeness crab traps by June 30, 2019.

Section 9003 requires every trap to have at least one destruction device which meets specifications approved by the department.

Section 9004 requires every trap must be raised, cleaned, serviced, and emptied at intervals, not to exceed 96 hours, weather conditions at sea permitting, and no trap is to be abandoned in the waters of this state.

Section 9005 requires every trap or string of traps to be marked with a buoy.

Section 9006 requires every trap used to take finfish or crustaceans to be marked with a buoy. Each buoy must be marked to identify the operator is the specified manner.

Section 9007 states that any trap used without a buoy, or with a buoy which is not marked, is a public nuisance and must be removed from the waters of this state by any person authorized to enforce this code.

Section 9008 states that any trap used in violation of this code, or any regulations adopted, is a public nuisance and must be seized.

Section 9010 allows spiny lobster to be taken with lobster traps under a lobster permit issued. Lobster traps may be used in any area of the state not otherwise closed to the taking of lobsters up to, but not closer than, 75 feet of any private pier, wharf, jetty, breakwater, or dock.

Section 9011 allows Dungeness crab to be taken with Dungeness crab traps. A Dungeness crab trap may have any number of openings of any size. Rock crab may be taken incidentally with a Dungeness crab trap used pursuant to this subdivision to take Dungeness crab, provided that the incidental taking occurs only during the season when it is lawful to take both species.

Section 9012 states that no vessel may be used to take and land crab for both commercial and sport purposes in the same day.

Section 9015 allows prawns or shrimp to be taken with prawn traps or shrimp traps under a general trap permit.

Section 9020 allows the taking of California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis), mudsuckers (Gillichthys mirabilis), yellowfin gobies (Acanthogobius flavimanus), shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata), and staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) with baitfish traps under a general trap permit.

Section 9022 says that traps to be used to take fin fish may not be used in Districts 10, 11, and 12, except for bait fish traps.

Section 9023 allows traps to be used throughout the year to take carp in any district under the restrictions set forth in this section.

Section 9024 states that crayfish traps may be used at any time in any district to take crayfish only. Traps cannot exceed three feet in greatest dimension.