Crab season is opening this Saturday and a new emergency provision added to the California groundfish regulations, allows crab fishing inshore of the 50 fathom (fm) Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) boundary. The provision authorizes the use of hoop nets, crab traps (where allowed, not in Fishing Zones 3 and 4), and dip nets (pursuant to T14 Section 28.80) inshore of the RCA boundary, even when legally-taken groundfish are aboard. For instance, in areas where crab trapping is allowed, a fishing vessel can set their crab traps in nearshore waters, head out past the 50 fm line and fish for rockfish, then come back inshore and pull their crab traps.For more information see: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Notices/Regulations/Rockfish
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