California Recreational Ocean Fishing Regulations

Marine Plants

All laws or regulations hereunder are either reproduced verbatim from the Fish and Game Code or from Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), as adopted by the Fish and Game Commission under authority of the Fish and Game Code.

This page was updated on March 2, 2022.

Also see: General Provisions and Definitions  |  Invertebrate Fishing Regulations  |  General Ocean Fishing Regulations  |  Marine Protected Areas  |  Full 2022-2023 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations Booklet (PDF)Full 2022-2023 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations Booklet (PDF)(opens in new tab)


30.00. Kelp General.

(a) Except as provided in this section and in Section 30.10 there is no closed season, closed hours or minimum size limit for any species of marine aquatic plant. The daily bag limit on all marine aquatic plants for which the take is authorized, except as provided in Section 28.60, is 10 pounds wet weight in the aggregate.

(b) Marine aquatic plants may not be cut or harvested in state marine reserves. Regulations within state marine conservation areas and state marine parks may prohibit cutting or harvesting of marine aquatic plants per sub-section 632(b) [marine protected area regulations].

30.10. Prohibited Species. No eel grass (Zostera), surf grass (Phyllospadix), or sea palm (Postelsia) may be cut or disturbed.

people fishing from shore CDFW photo by K. Penttila

Additional Resources

2023-2024 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation Booklet (PDF)2022-2023 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation Booklet (PDF)(opens in new tab)

Visit our Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations web page for sport fishing regulations, fish identification resources, how-to videos, maps, and other useful fishing information.

cell phone Try our Ocean Sport Fishing Interactive Web Map(opens in new tab) on your next fishing trip! This new resource is designed to help you visualize sport fishing regulation boundaries, including marine protected areas and groundfish conservation area depth restrictions, on your mobile phone. After you have used this new web mapping application, please take a minute to help us make it better by completing this user survey(opens in new tab). We want to hear from you, so please tell us what you think!

California Fishing Passport

California Fishing Passport

A fishing incentive and recognition program to highlight and promote fishing throughout the state. Download a copy of the California Fishing Passport book listing 150 different popular fresh and saltwater finfish and shellfish that occur throughout the state.