California

Fish and Game Code - FGC

2,297 sections, each with the official text and a plain-English explanation of what it means for you.

• § 8756 — Salmon, steelhead, striped bass, or shad may not be taken with round haul nets.
• § 8757 — 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 ha
• § 876 — The board of supervisors shall fix the salary to be paid and the expenses to be allowed the county fish and game warden, which salary and expenses shall be paid from the county treasury.
• § 877 — The board may by a majority vote of its members remove the warden at any time.
• § 878 — The county fish and game warden shall enforce the state laws relating to the protection of fish and game.
• § 8780 — (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.
• § 8780.1 — The commission may, upon the recommendation of the department, adopt regulations governing the use of bait nets.
• § 879 — The county fish and game warden shall report quarterly to the board of supervisors, giving a detailed statement of all arrests made, convictions had and fines collected, and a general statement in reg
• § 88 — “Transport” includes offer or receive for transportation.
• § 880 — The board of supervisors of each county may, in its discretion, appoint a deputy fish and game warden, to serve at the pleasure of the board.
• § 8800 — 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.
• § 8801 — In Districts 1, 2, and 3, beach nets may not be possessed on any boat.
• § 8802 — In Districts 8 and 9, beach nets may be used.
• § 8803 — In District 10, beach nets may be used, the meshes of which are at least 1 1 2 inches in length.
• § 8804 — In District 11, beach nets may be used.
• § 8805 — In Districts 12 and 13, beach nets may not be possessed on any boat.
• § 8806 — In District 18, beach nets may not be used.
• § 8807 — In District 19, beach nets, the meshes of which are at least 1 1 2 inches in length, may be used to take smelt between September 1st and January 31st.
• § 881 — The deputy shall have such powers, perform such duties, and receive such salary and be entitled to such expenses as the board may provide.
• § 882 — The salary and expenses of a deputy county fish and game warden shall be paid from the county treasury.
• § 8830 — “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.
• § 8831 — It is unlawful for any person to use any trawl net with meshes which are less than 4 1 2 inches in length except as provided in this article or as provided by federal groundfish regulations adopted pu
• § 8832 — 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 scu
• § 8833 — (a) In Districts 4, 19, 19A, 20, 20A, and 21, trawl nets or dragnets may not be possessed.
• § 8834 — 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.
• § 8834.1 — 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
• § 8834.5 — 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, a
• § 8835 — 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.
• § 8836 — In Districts 17, 18, and 118.
• § 8837 — 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
• § 8840 — Chafing gear may be used or possessed but shall not be connected directly to the terminal, or closed, end of the cod-end.
• § 8841 — (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 a
• § 8842 — (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.
• § 8843 — It is unlawful to use any trawl net with cod-end mesh less than 7 1 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 betwee
• § 8870 — Dip nets may be used subject to the following restrictions: (a) In Districts 1, 1 1 2 , 2, 3, and 4, dip nets may not be baited, and may not measure more than six feet in greatest breadth.
• § 8890 — 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 t
• § 89 — For the purposes of this code, “recycled water” or “reclaimed water” has the same meaning as recycled water as defined in subdivision (n) of Section 13050 of the Water Code.
• § 89.1 — “Waters of the state,” “waters of this state,” and “state waters” have the same meaning as “waters of the state” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 13050 of the Water Code.
• § 89.5 — “Wildlife” means and includes all wild animals, birds, plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and related ecological communities, including the habitat upon which the wildlife depends for its continued v
• § 9 — The masculine gender includes the feminine and the neuter.
• § 9.2 — “Spouse” includes “registered domestic partner,” as required by Section 297.
• § 90 — The definitions in this chapter govern the construction of Section 1022, Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 1700) of Division 2, and Division 6 (commencing with Section 5500), and all regulations adop
• § 90.1 — “Adaptive management,” in regard to a marine fishery, means a scientific policy that seeks to improve management of biological resources, particularly in areas of scientific uncertainty, by viewing pr
• § 90.5 — “Bycatch” means fish or other marine life that are taken in a fishery but which are not the target of the fishery.
• § 90.7 — “Depressed,” with regard to a marine fishery, means the condition of a fishery for which the best available scientific information, and other relevant information that the commission or department pos
• § 9000 — (a) Except as expressly authorized in this article, no person shall use a trap to take any finfish, mollusk, or crustacean in the waters of this state for commercial purposes.
• § 9000.5 — For the purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Bucket trap” means a plastic bucket of five gallons or less in capacity.
• § 9001 — (a) Finfish, mollusks, or crustaceans shall not be 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
• § 9001.6 — Hagfish may be taken under a general trap permit, if all of the following criteria are met: (a) Korean traps and bucket traps may be used to take only hagfish under this article.
• § 9001.7 — Finfish, other than sablefish and hagfish, may be taken under a general trap permit if all of the following criteria are also met: (a) Every person aboard the vessel possesses a valid general trap per
• § 9001.8 — Sablefish may 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 boundar
• § 9002 — (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), it is unlawful to willfully or recklessly disturb, move, or damage any trap that belongs to another person and that is marked with a buoy iden
• § 9002.5 — (a) Notwithstanding Section 9002, the department, in consultation with the Dungeness crab task force, shall establish a retrieval program to provide for the retrieval of lost or abandoned commercial D
• § 9003 — Every trap shall have at least one destruction device which meets specifications approved by the department.
• § 9004 — Every trap shall be raised, cleaned, serviced, and emptied at intervals, not to exceed 96 hours, weather conditions at sea permitting, and no trap shall be abandoned in the waters of this state.
• § 9005 — Every trap or string of traps shall be marked with a buoy.
• § 9006 — Every trap used to take finfish or crustaceans shall be marked with a buoy.
• § 9007 — Any trap used without a buoy, or with a buoy which is not marked pursuant to Section 9006, is a public nuisance and shall be removed from the waters of this state by any person authorized to enforce t
• § 9008 — Any trap used in violation of this code, or any regulations adopted pursuant thereto, is a public nuisance and, except as provided in Section 9007, shall be seized pursuant to Article 3 (commencing wi
• § 9010 — (a) Subject to Article 5 (commencing with Section 8250) of Chapter 2, spiny lobster may be taken with lobster traps under a lobster permit issued pursuant to Section 8254.
• § 9011 — (a) (1) Subject to Article 6 (commencing with Section 8275) of Chapter 2, Dungeness crab, as defined in Section 8275, may be taken with Dungeness crab traps.
• § 9012 — (a) No vessel may be used to take and land crab for both commercial and sport purposes in the same day.
• § 9015 — (a) Subject to Article 18 (commencing with Section 8590) of Chapter 2, prawns or shrimp, as defined in Section 8590, may be taken with prawn traps or shrimp traps under a general trap permit issued pu
• § 9020 — (a) Subject to Section 8400, California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis), mudsuckers (Gillichthys mirabilis), yellowfin gobies (Acanthogobius flavimanus), shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata), and st
• § 9022 — (a) Notwithstanding Section 9000, traps used to take fin fish may not be used in Districts 10, 11, and 12, except for bait fish traps as provided for in Sections 8400 and 9020.
• § 9023 — (a) Traps may be used throughout the year to take carp in any district under the restrictions set forth in subdivision (b).
• § 9024 — Crayfish traps may be used at any time in any district to take crayfish only.
• § 9025.1 — The Legislature finds and declares that it is in the best interest of the people of the state and California’s marine resources and fisheries that the use of commercial hook and line fishing gear be r
• § 9025.5 — (a) Troll lines or handlines having not more than two hooks (plugs excepted) may be used in any district, and troll lines with more than two hooks may be used in Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 10, 16,
• § 9026 — Set lines may be used in Districts 6, 7, 10, 17, 18, and 19.
• § 9027 — (a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 9026, 9028, or 9029, in the area described in subdivision (b), it is unlawful to use more than 150 hooks on a vessel to take a fish for commercial purposes when using f
• § 9027.5 — (a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 9026, 9028, or 9029 in the area described in subdivision (b), it is unlawful to use more than 150 hooks on a vessel to take fish for commercial purposes when using fish
• § 9028 — Notwithstanding Sections 8603 and 9025.
• § 9029 — (a) Notwithstanding Section 9028, a fishing line which is anchored to the ocean bottom at one end and attached at the surface to a fishing vessel or a buoy may be used in Districts 6, 7, 10, 17, 18, a
• § 9029.5 — Notwithstanding Sections 9025.
• § 9050 — A spade, shovel, hoe, rake, or other appliance operated by hand may be used to take mollusks, sand crabs, and shrimps in Districts 1, 1 1 2 , 2, 2 1 2 , 3, 3 1 2 , 4, 4 1 8 , 4 3 4 , 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1
• § 9051 — (a) Spears, harpoons, and bows and arrows may be used for taking all varieties of skates, rays, and sharks, except soupfin sharks.
• § 9052 — Slurp guns may be used to take fish for commercial purposes in fish and game districts 6, 7, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 20A.
• § 9053 — (a) Powered equipment of such design as may be prescribed by the commission may be used to take crustaceans and mollusks under a revocable permit issued by the department and under such regulations as
• § 9054 — Sea urchins shall not be taken for commercial purposes except under a valid sea urchin diving permit issued to that person that has not been suspended or revoked, subject to regulations adopted by the
• § 9054.5 — The commission shall adopt regulations related to commercial sea urchin diving permits, and the vessels used to commercially fish for sea urchin, in order to better manage the number of permits issued
• § 9055 — (a) The base fee for a sea urchin permit authorized pursuant to Section 9054 is five hundred ninety-eight dollars and fifty cents ($598.
• § 9056 — The department shall adopt regulations regarding the marking and color coding of lines used in state managed fisheries.
• § 91 — “Discards” means fish that are taken in a fishery but are not retained because they are of an undesirable species, size, sex, or quality, or because they are required by law not to be retained.
• § 9100 — The California Energy Extension Service of the Office of Planning and Research shall implement a revolving loan fund program to assist low-income fishing fleet operators reduce their energy costs and
• § 9101 — Commencing January 1, 1994, and thereafter biennially, the California Energy Extension Service of the Office of Planning and Research shall report to the Legislature on the status of the loan program,
• § 93 — “Essential fishery information,” with regard to a marine fishery, means information about fish life history and habitat requirements; the status and trends of fish populations, fishing effort, and cat
• § 94 — “Fishery” means both of the following: (a) One or more populations of marine fish or marine plants that may be treated as a unit for purposes of conservation and management and that are identified on
• § 96 — “Marine living resources” includes all wild mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and plants that normally occur in or are associated with salt water, and the marine habitats upon which these animals and pl
• § 96.5 — “Maximum sustainable yield” in a marine fishery means the highest average yield over time that does not result in a continuing reduction in stock abundance, taking into account fluctuations in abundan
• § 97 — “Optimum yield,” with regard to a marine fishery, means the amount of fish taken in a fishery that does all of the following: (a) Provides the greatest overall benefit to the people of California, par
• § 97.5 — “Overfished,” with regard to a marine fishery, means both of the following: (a) A depressed fishery.
• § 98 — “Overfishing” means a rate or level of taking that the best available scientific information, and other relevant information that the commission or department possesses or receives, indicates is not s
• § 98.2 — “Participants” in regard to a fishery means the sportfishing, commercial fishing, and fish receiving and processing sectors of the fishery.
• § 98.5 — “Population” or “stock” means a species, subspecies, geographical grouping, or other category of fish capable of management as a unit.
• § 99 — “Restricted access,” with regard to a marine fishery, means a fishery in which the number of persons who may participate, or the number of vessels that may be used in taking a specified species of fis
• § 99.5 — “Sustainable,” “sustainable use,” and “sustainability,” with regard to a marine fishery, mean both of the following: (a) Continuous replacement of resources, taking into account fluctuations in abunda