California Spiny Lobster Diving

[urmaddad]

 

[Johnoly]

Monster 12 pounder...Congrats on trip !!

 

[BoltSnap]

Excellent!

What are the size and catch limits for lobster in CA?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hey there all you old Salt Water Revival farts..... Hello from an old ex SWR club member now living up here in the Pac NW. Hope all is well with ya'll.....

And thanks for bringing back great memories of the annual club bug dives... I still have my plaque from the 1994 trip..

And last but not least......it's always this time of year when Sheri and I think an awful lot about losing Eric back in 2016 up at Pt Arena... He was my best friend and literally my Best Man....and he died doing exactly what he wanted to be doing.. Diving! RIP Eric... I love you man!

And I know that he loved all you folks in the SWR club..

 

[johndiver999]

Cool video, I noticed a lot of freedive suits on that boat.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Excellent!

What are the size and catch limits for lobster in CA?

Minimum of 3 1/4" from the base of the horns to the end of the carapace. Limit of seven in possession at any time or fourteen with a multi-day permit. For instance, you may not take seven if you still have some in your freezer.

 

[BoltSnap]

Minimum of 3 1/4" from the base of the horns to the end of the carapace. Limit of seven in possession at any time or fourteen with a multi-day permit. For instance, you may not take seven if you still have some in your freezer.

No upper size limit like they do in MA?

Do you mean that if you have seven in your freezer at home, you can't take seven?? Are you serious?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

According to CCR T14, Section 29.90(b), the daily recreational bag limit and possession limit are seven lobsters per person, regardless of whether they are fresh, frozen or otherwise preserved. This means that if you have a limit of seven lobsters at home, you cannot go out and get more lobsters until the first limit is disposed of in some way (eaten, given away, etc). You may obtain authorization for possessing more lobsters than the possession limit (see Declaration for Multi-Day Fishing Trip, Section 27.15 T14, CCR).

• Recreational lobster season opens at 6:00 a.m. on the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October and closes at 12:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday (night) after the 15th of March. **The season no longer starts at midnight for safety reasons** For current regulations, please visit the Current California Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations for Point Conception to the U.S. - Mexico Border.
• Recreational Bag Limit: Seven lobsters per person.
• Minimum Legal Size Limit: Three and one-fourth inches, measured in a straight line on the midline of the back from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell (3 ¼ inch carapace). Please see the lobster measurement diagram (PDF)(opens in new tab) on how to measure your lobster.
• Permit Requirements: CDFW Spiny Lobster Report Card and California recreational fishing license, available at CDFW's Online License Sales and Service. An Ocean Enhancement Validation is also required if fishing in ocean waters south of Point Arguello (Santa Barbara County).
• Skin and SCUBA Diver Gear Requirements: All skin and SCUBA divers must only use their hands to take lobster.
• Pier Fishing Gear Requirements: You may use up to 2 hoop nets while fishing from a public pier.
• Vessel Fishing Gear Requirements: You may possess up to 5 hoop nets while fishing from a vessel, but the total number of hoop nets from a vessel cannot exceed 10, even if there are more than 2 people on the boat