This page contains information about unscheduled, in-season regulation changes for recreational and commercial ocean fishing.
CDFW is required to notify the public of in-season regulation changes for groundfish at least 10 days before the new regulations becomes effective, via news release.
"The department shall give the public and the National Marine Fisheries Service no less than 10 days notice of any fishery closure or rule change implemented pursuant to this Section via a department news release." - California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 27.20(f)(opens in new tab)
For information about new and proposed in-season regulation changes separate from those under Fish and Game Commission rulemaking authority, visit CDFW's Proposed Regulations page.
Further information may be obtained by calling your local CDFW office. You may also sign up for the Marine Region News Service to receive automatic notification of in-season regulation changes.
News Releases, Updates and Informational Notices
December 20, 2024
Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open Jan. 5 in Central California
Northern Fishery to Remain Closed until Jan. 15 Due to Inability to Complete Industry-Sponsored Crab Quality Testing
December 9, 2024
Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Open in Northern California, Continued Meat Quality and Whale Protection Delays for Commercial Fishery
November 21, 2024
CDFW Continues Recreational Fishery Trap Restriction and Delays the Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Due to Meat Quality and Whale Entanglement Risk
October 30, 2024
Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Delayed in a Portion of Northern California State Waters Due to Public Health Hazard
October 25, 2024
CA Recreational Dungeness Crab Season To Open with Trap Restriction While the Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery is Delayed to Protect Whales from Entanglement
August 22, 2024
Fish and Game Commission Approves Catch-and-Release Sport Fishing for White Sturgeon; Currently Closed Season Expected to Reopen Oct. 1
June 28, 2024
Fish and Game Commission Approves White Sturgeon as a Candidate Species for Listing as Threatened
May 2, 2024
Razor Clam Fishery Closes in Humboldt County Due to Public Health Hazard
March 28, 2024
CDFW Closes Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery and Restricts Recreational Crab Traps in the Central Management Area, Limits Commercial Fishing to Inside 30 Fathoms in Northern Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement
March 13, 2024
Federal Council Announces California Ocean Salmon Season Alternatives
January 11, 2024
CDFW Opens Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery in the Central Management Area Under Trap Reduction, and Lifts Recreational Crab Trap Restriction
Summaries of Regulation or Season Changes
December 20, 2024
The commercial Dungeness crab season will open on Jan. 5, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. in Fishing Zones 3 through 6, from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border. This area will be subject to a 50 percent trap reduction. The commercial trap pre-soak period will begin on Jan. 2, 2025, at 8:01 a.m.
The commercial Dungeness crab season in Fishing Zones 1 and 2, from the California Oregon Border to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line, will be further delayed due to the inability to conduct industry-sponsored meat quality testing. The season in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 will automatically open on Jan. 15, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. under a 25 percent trap reduction. A pre-soak period will begin on Jan. 12, 2025, at 8:01 a.m.
The recreational temporary crab trap restriction will be lifted beginning Jan. 2, 2025, at 8:01 a.m., from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Lopez Point, Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4). A Fleet Advisory remains in effect for both the commercial and recreational fishery for all Fishing Zones.
December 9, 2024
The recreational fishery for Dungeness crab has been opened in the portion of northern California that was delayed due to a public health hazard. State health agencies determined that consuming the meat of Dungeness crab taken between the California/Oregon border (42° 0.00’ N latitude) and the southern boundary of the Reading Rock state marine protected areas (41° 17.6’ N latitude) no longer poses a significant health threat due to domoic acid.
The commercial Dungeness crab season in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (Fishing Zones 1 and 2) will be delayed until at least 12:01 a.m. Dec. 31, 2024, to allow for the annual pre-season meat recovery tests. Another round of testing on or around Dec. 15 will determine whether the northern California fishery may open on Dec. 31, 2024.
The commercial fishery delay and recreational fishery trap restriction in the rest of the state (Fishing Zones 3 through 6) has not changed. The next scheduled risk assessment for this area is expected to occur on or around Dec. 20, 2024.
November 21, 2024
CDFW will continue to delay the recreational Dungeness crab opener in northern California due to unhealthy levels of domoic acid in crab taken from the California/Oregon state line (42° 0.00’ N latitude) to the southern boundary of the Reading Rock marine protected areas (41° 17.6’ N latitude) in Humboldt County (Fishing Zone 1) on the recommendation of state health agencies.
The northern California commercial Dungeness crab season for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (Fishing Zones 1 and 2) will not open on Dec. 1, 2024 because crab meat quality tests could not be conducted due to high domoic acid concentrations in crab collected at northern California port locations. Additionally, high numbers of humpback and blue whales were observed in these fishing zones, which creates an elevated entanglement risk. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery delay in Fishing Zones 3 through 6 (the rest of the California coast) will continue due to the presence of humpback whales and a high risk of entanglement.
The next risk assessment will take place around Dec. 5, 2024, and is expected to inform the potential for a statewide commercial fishery opener and lifting of the recreational trap restriction on or around December 15, 2024. Particularly in northern California, these potential actions are dependent on safe domoic acid levels in Dungeness crab.
October 30, 2024
Originally scheduled to open on Nov. 2, 2024, the recreational fishery for Dungeness crab will remain closed along a section of coast from the California/Oregon state line (42° 0.00’ N latitude) to the southern boundary of the Reading Rock marine protected areas (41° 17.6’ N latitude) in Humboldt County on the recommendation of state health agencies. This area will remain closed due to unhealthy levels of domoic acid in the crab. The recreational Dungeness crab season delay will remain in effect in this area until state health agencies determine that domoic acid no longer poses a significant risk to public health, and the CDFW Director reopens the recreational fishery.
October 25, 2024
The recreational Dungeness crab season will open statewide beginning Nov. 2, 2024. The use of traps will be temporarily prohibited between the Sonoma/Mendocino County line and Lopez Point, Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) when the season opens due to the presence of humpback whales and potential for entanglement in trap gear. Recreational take of Dungeness crab by other methods, including hoop nets and crab snares, is not affected by the temporary trap restriction in Fishing Zones 3 and 4.
The commercial Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6) has been delayed due to the high abundance of humpback whales and large number of recent entanglements. The next risk assessment, which will take place on or around Nov. 15, 2024, is expected to inform the potential for a statewide commercial fishery opener on Dec. 1, 2024, and the potential to modify the recreational trap restriction.
A Fleet Advisory will be issued and in effect for both the recreational and commercial fisheries, in areas that remain open to crabbing. Crabbers should remain vigilant and avoid setting gear in areas where whales are present, while also following best practices for crabbing with traps (PDF)(opens in new tab).
August 22, 2024
The California Fish and Game Commission has adopted regulations to reopen sport fishing for white sturgeon on a catch-and-release basis while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducts a status review to determine if listing the species as “threatened” under the California Endangered Species Act is warranted. The white sturgeon sport fishing season is expected to reopen Oct. 1, pending approval of the new regulations by the state Office of Administrative Law. The regulations approved by the Commission are available on the Commission’s website(opens in new tab).
June 28, 2024
The California Fish and Game Commission has approved white sturgeon as a candidate for listing under the California Endangered Species Act. Recreational fishing for white sturgeon remains open until July 11 under emergency regulations adopted last year. The season officially closed effective July 12, 2024. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will bring potential white sturgeon fishing regulations to the Commission at its Aug. 14-15 meeting in Fortuna, Humboldt County. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends anglers with 2024 Sturgeon Fishing Report Cards hold onto their cards, and anglers considering purchasing a non-refundable 2024 Sturgeon Fishing Report Card wait until the Commission decides on any regulations that could allow white sturgeon fishing to resume.
May 2, 2024
The recreational razor clam fishery in Humboldt County has been closed following an advisory from state health agencies that consumption of razor clams in the area poses a significant health threat due to domoic acid exposure.
March 28, 2024
At 6:00 p.m. on April 8, 2024 the commercial Dungeness crab fishery will close from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6). Commercial crabbing in the Northern Management Area, from the California/Oregon border to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (Fishing Zones 1 and 2), will be limited to an area shoreward of the 30-fathom depth contour described in federal regulations.
The recreational Dungeness crab fishery will continue statewide, although crab traps may not be used from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Point Conception (in Fishing Zones 3, 4, and 5).
A Fleet Advisory remains in effect for both the recreational and commercial fisheries, in areas that remain open to crabbing. Crabbers should remain vigilant and avoid setting gear in areas where whales are present, while also following best practices for crabbing with traps (PDF)(opens in new tab).
March 13, 2024
Following recommendations from California and Oregon agency representatives and industry advisors, The National Marine Fisheries Service took in-season action to cancel ocean salmon fishery openers that were scheduled to occur before May 16, 2024. The sport fishery off much of California had been set to open in early April.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet April 5-11 in Seattle, Washington to adopt final regulations for ocean salmon seasons that will begin on or after May 16, 2024. Of the three alternatives for ocean salmon seasons, two would authorize short ocean salmon seasons and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year.
January 11, 2024
The commercial Dungeness crab season will open from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6) on Jan. 18 at 12:01 a.m. A 64-hour trap pre-soak period will begin on Jan. 15, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. The commercial season will open under a 50-percent trap reduction to reduce the entanglement risk for humpback whales. Commercial Dungeness crab vessels operating in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 must understand and comply with the 50-percent trap reduction and other restrictions outlined in the CDFW Declaration of Gear Reduction in the Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery and Lifting of Temporary Crab Trap Prohibition in the Recreational Crab Fishery Due to Risk of Marine Life Entanglement. The next risk assessment will take place in mid-February, and data from the assessment will inform the potential for modification of the commercial trap restriction.