2019 Recreational and Commercial Fishing Regulations Available for Download

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW’s) annual Ocean Sport Fishing regulations booklet and Commercial Fishing Regulations Digest are now available on the CDFW website.

Ocean Sport Fishing
With the 2019 sport saltwater fishing season taking off, it’s a good time to grab the annual Ocean Sport Fishing regulations booklet and review ocean fishing regulations. There have been a few changes, so recreational anglers will want to take note.

New California Sheephead Fillet-at-Sea Regulation Now in Effect

Measuring the alternate length of a California Sheephead. photo by Gary C. Graham

El Dorado Sportfishing crew out of Long Beach fillets a California Sheephead so that it can be measured to inform the proposed fillet regulation. photo by Gary C. Graham

Scientists measure California Sheephead and record data while charter crew and commercial fisherman converse. photo by Gary C. Graham

Southern and Central California anglers will want to be aware that regulations have changed for California Sheephead. At its February 2019 meeting in Sacramento, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulatory changes

Fishing Regulations for Pacific Bluefin Tuna Slated to Change in Summer 2015

Pacific bluefin tuna.   photo courtesy NOAA

At its April 8, 2015 meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted a reduced two-fish recreational daily bag limit for Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) as well as new requirements for filleting tuna on vessels south of Point Conception. These regulation changes will conform to new federal regulations and become effective when published in the California Regulatory Notice Register this summer. CDFW anticipates that federal and state regulations will have the same effective date when the final federal rule is published. These recreational fishing regulation changes complement reductions in commercial catch allowances reached through international treaty agreement with the U.S. and other treaty nations.

Sport Fishing Regulations for Pacific Bluefin Tuna Slated to Change in Early 2015

Physical characteristics for bluefin tuna

Due to concerns over population decline, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the California Fish and Game Commission will be enacting more restrictive sport regulations on Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) that will become effective later this year.

Both federal and conforming state regulations are expected to be in place by May 2015, as the fishing season kicks off. The 2015 recreational bluefin tuna bag and possession limits and new tuna fillet regulations will take effect once published in the Federal Register (federal) and California Regulatory Notice Register (state). Updated state regulations will be available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website