California · Fish and Game Code - FGC

FGC §8280.1: (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

Infraction

What this law says, in plain English

Persons must obtain a valid, non-suspended Dungeness crab vessel permit to commercially harvest crab using authorized traps. Violations result in civil fines up to $20,000 and potential license revocation.

Read the full statutory text
(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 revoked. (b) A person shall not be issued a new, original Dungeness crab vessel permit. A Dungeness crab vessel permit may be issued only pursuant to a renewal or transfer of an existing permit as provided in Section 8280.2 or 8280.3. (c) A permit issued pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of this section, as this section read on August 1, 2018, or any prior version of that paragraph, shall become immediately null and void upon the death of the permittee. (d) In addition to criminal penalties authorized by law, a person who fishes without a Dungeness crab vessel permit, or who uses a Dungeness crab vessel permit to fish illegally on another vessel other than the permitted one, shall be subject to a fine not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) and, at the discretion of the department, revocation of the person’s fishing license for a period not to exceed five years and revocation of the commercial boat registration license for a period not to exceed five years. (e) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2029, and, as of January 1, 2030, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2030, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.