Bag Limits for Saltwater Snails? Following the Regulations for Tidepool Foraging

Gooseneck barnacles may not be collected. photo © Lauren Glevanik CC BY-NC 2.0

Rock crab. Daily bag limit: 35. Size limit: 4 in. across. May be collected by hand, see regulations for trap/hoop net and measuring device requirements. CDFW photo by A. Frimodig

Shore crab. Daily bag limit: 35. CDFW photo by C. Makeyev

Green abalone. No abalone species may be taken (red abalone season is closed). photo by J. Demeter

California mussels. Daily bag limit: 10 lb. in the shell. Only hands may be used to collect them (no tools may be used). CDFW photo by C. Makeyev

Purple sea urchins, red sea urchin. Daily bag limit 35; some northern California counties have larger bag limits for purple sea urchin when snorkling or diving (see regulations). CDFW photo by D. Stein

Tidepools have yielded food for hungry humans for thousands of years, though it was a brave soul who first pried open a mussel and thought, “Ooh, this looks tasty!”

Creature Feature: Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye tuna range worldwide in warmer seas; they are only occasional visitors to Southern California. When they appear, bigeye tuna may be found on the California tuna grounds from June until November.

New CDFW Marine Species Portal Provides Easy Access to Wide Variety of Information

The Marine Species Portal home page
CDFW image

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Region is proud to announce the new Marine Species Portal! The new Portal replaces the temporary Marine Species Information web page and is another step towards making our website even more user friendly.

Creature Feature: Shiner Perch

Shiner perch may be found statewide in calmer ocean waters. They prefer bays around eelgrass beds, and the pilings of wharfs and piers.

Draft Aquaculture Informational Report to be Presented to the Marine Resources Committee on March 17

Aquaculture operations. CDFW photo

In 2006, the State enacted Senate Bill 201 which requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in consultation with the Aquaculture