1. (a) No person shall use a vessel to take, possess or land coonstripe shrimp for commercial purposes unless the owner of that vessel has been issued a coonstripe shrimp vessel trap permit for that vessel that has not been suspended or revoked.
2. (b) The applicant for a permit shall submit the fees and the completed application, as specified in Section 705, to the address listed on the application.

3. (c) Coonstripe shrimp may only be taken for commercial purposes by traps pursuant to this section and sections 180, 180.2, and 180.5, Title 14, CCR.

   1. (1) Coonstripe shrimp traps.

      1. (A) Coonstripe shrimp traps with a single chamber shall have 3 or more rigid and unobstructed openings of no less than 1.25 inches diameter and no greater than 2.5 inches diameter measured in any direction. The openings shall be located on the outer side walls of the trap and no portion of the openings shall be located less than 2.5 inches from the bottom or less than 2.5 inches from the top of the trap. Pursuant to the specifications provided in Title 14 subsection 180.2(a)(1), single chamber coonstripe shrimp traps are not required to contain a destruct device.
      2. (B) A coonstripe shrimp trap with more than one chamber may have any number of rigid unobstructed openings, provided that the opening(s) adhere to the size requirements in subsection (c)(1)(A), however the trap shall contain at least one destruct device in the rearmost chamber of the trap that complies with Title 14 section 180.2.
      3. (C) Every coonstripe shrimp trap, or ground line of traps, shall have a main buoy that identifies the vessel's commercial boat registration number and other marking requirements pursuant to section 180.5. The main buoy shall be at least 4 inches in diameter and no more than 18 inches in length.
      4. (D) No additional trailer surface buoys shall be used.
   2. (2) No other species shall be taken in a coonstripe shrimp trap. Any other species taken incidentally with a coonstripe shrimp trap shall be immediately released.
   3. (3) All coonstripe shrimp taken during the closed season shall immediately be returned to the water. Unless otherwise prescribed by regulation, it is unlawful to take or possess aboard a vessel any coonstripe shrimp during the closed season or from any closed waters.
   4. (4) All traps must be removed from the water prior to November 1, weather and sea conditions permitting. If a vessel owner is unable to comply with this subsection due to unsafe weather conditions, then the vessel owner shall send an email to the department's Law Enforcement Division at [email protected] no later than noon on October 31. The email shall include a description of the specific unsafe weather condition(s) that are causing the delay and the anticipated date of removal. Notification does not relieve the vessel owner of the responsibility for complying with this subsection unless approved by the department.

   5. (5) Line Definitions

      1. (A) Ground line. For the purposes of this section, a ground line is defined as one common line or string that connects a string of traps and shall be anchored on one or both ends.
      2. (B) Vertical lines. For the purposes of this section, vertical lines are defined as lines that connect a buoy to a trap or ground line of traps.

   6. (6) Coonstripe Shrimp Northern Management Area: north of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (38° 46.125′ N. latitude) to the California/Oregon border:

      1. (A) No more than 15 traps shall be attached to one ground line.
      2. (B) No more than 180 vertical lines, in total shall be deployed or possessed per vessel.
      3. (C) Coonstripe shrimp traps shall not be set, placed or located seaward of the 30-fathom depth contour defined by connecting the appropriate set of waypoints adopted in Federal regulations and published in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations Part 660, Section 660.71 (Revised March 1, 2023) incorporated by reference herein.
      4. (D) Coonstripe shrimp shall not be taken from November 1 through May 14.
      5. (E) Coonstripe shrimp traps shall be set and baited no earlier than 6:00 a.m. on May 14.

   7. (7) Coonstripe Shrimp Southern Management Area: south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (38° 46.125′ N. latitude) to the U.S./Mexico border:

      1. (A) No more than 40 traps shall be attached to a ground line.
      2. (B) No more than 60 vertical lines, in total shall be deployed or possessed per vessel.
      3. (C) Coonstripe shrimp shall not be taken from November 1 through April 30.
      4. (D) Coonstripe shrimp traps shall be set and baited no earlier than 6:00 a.m. on April 30.
   8. (8) When a vessel owner or operator is using or has placed traps in ocean waters in both the Coonstripe Shrimp Northern Management Area and the Coonstripe Shrimp Southern Management Area, the cumulative number of traps, ground line(s) of traps, and vertical lines deployed must not exceed the restrictions described in subsection 180.15(c) for the Coonstripe Shrimp Southern Management Area.
4. (d) A control date of February 13, 2025, is established for the purpose of considering a future restricted access coonstripe shrimp trap fishery or future gear endorsement. Landings on or after this date may not apply toward a permit in a future restricted access program or future gear endorsement for the coonstripe shrimp trap fishery if one is developed.

5. (e) Fishing Activity Reporting Requirement: When participating in the coonstripe shrimp trap fishery, all vessel owners must submit monthly reports that include the following information:

   1. (1) Vessel name;
   2. (2) Operator's commercial fishing license identification number;
   3. (3) Fishing chart block number (see subsection 190(f), Title 14, CCR);
   4. (4) Number of traps deployed;
   5. (5) Number of vertical lines;
   6. (6) Number of traps per ground line at the time of reporting; and
   7. (7) Number of lost traps with the final report submitted at the conclusion of the fishing season.
   8. (8) Reports shall be submitted on or before the first day of each month. All reports shall be submitted via a form as prescribed by the department that is available by contacting [email protected].

6. (f) Pop-up fishing gear

   1. (1) Pop-up fishing gear, as defined in subdivision (f), of Fish and Game Code section 9000.5, may be used in the coonstripe shrimp fishery. Additionally, the pop-up device shall be capable of releasing the buoy upon demand by the vessel owner or by the department.
   2. (2) When using and/or possessing pop-up fishing gear, all vessels shall have a satellite or cellular-based electronic monitoring system designed to monitor location and movement of vessels using global positioning system (GPS) coordinates installed onboard. The system shall accurately track and record a vessel's location at a frequency of no less than once per minute during an entire fishing trip, including when transiting to and from a fishing area. Vessel location data shall be uploaded automatically and made available to the department or an authorized agent within 24 hours of request.
   3. (3) Vessel owners shall provide the department or an authorized agent access to the gear-marking web-based platforms they are using and the department's ropeless web portal for data-sharing and enforcement purposes.
   4. (4) Vessel owners shall ensure that their electronic monitoring system is functioning normally and transmitting location data at all times when fishing or possessing pop-up gear. Whenever regular data transmission is interrupted, or the owner or operator is notified by the department that data are not being received, the vessel shall return to port immediately until regular data transmission resumes. The owner or operator shall also immediately notify the department's Law Enforcement Division of the interruption at [email protected].
   5. (5) Continuous transit through any marine protected area (MPA): Except for purposes of continuous transit, or transit to a designated anchorage pursuant to subsection (f)(6), no vessel shall enter any MPA designated pursuant to Section 632, Title 14, CCR when the owner or operator is using, has placed in the water, or is in possession of any pop-up fishing gear pursuant to subsection (f). For purposes of this section, “continuous transit” is defined as transiting through any MPA on a heading as close as practicable to a direct route, without stopping or delaying, and maintaining speeds greater than three knots at all times during transit. All fishing gear shall be stowed and secured in such a manner that it is rendered unusable, ensuring that traps do not contain bait inside or have bait attached.

   6. (6) Anchorage: Within MPAs, a vessel shall only anchor, moor, or dock in the designated anchorage areas defined in this subsection. Any vessel anchored within a designated MPA anchorage shall have fishing gear stowed and secured in such a manner that it is rendered unusable, ensuring that traps do not contain bait inside or have bait attached. Vessels transiting through an MPA to a defined MPA anchorage shall adhere to continuous transit requirements defined in subsection 180.15(f)(5).

      1. (A) Point Reyes State Marine Reserve Anchorage: The anchorage area within the Point Reyes State Marine Reserve is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points:

         38° 01.900′N lat., 122° 56.400′W long.; and

         37° 59.400′N lat., 122° 57.800′W long.

      2. (B) Southeast Farallon Island State Marine Reserve Anchorage: The anchorage area within the Southeast Farallon Island State Marine Reserve, excluding the area defined as the Southeast Farallon Island Special Closure in subsection 632(b), is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points: 37° 42.250′N lat., 123° 00.170′W long.;

         37° 42.250′N lat., 122° 59.500′W long.;

         37° 41.000′N lat., 122° 59.500′W long.;

         37° 41.000′N lat., 123° 00.200′W long; and

         37° 41.759′N lat., 123° 00.200′W long.

      3. (C) Año Nuevo State Marine Reserve and Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area Anchorage: The anchorage area within the Año Nuevo State Marine Reserve and Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points:

         37° 07.000′N lat., 122° 19.900′W long.;

         37° 04.000′N lat., 122° 17.000′W long.; and

         37° 04.000′N lat., 122° 15.400′W long.

      4. (D) Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area Anchorage: The anchorage, mooring, or docking areas within the Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area includes the area below mean high tide within Morro Bay east of the Morro Bay entrance breakwater and west of longitude 120° 50.340′ W.

7. (g) Waiver

   1. (1) Any vessel may retrieve and return to shore coonstripe shrimp traps and buoys not marked with that vessel's registration number, if all of the following conditions are met:

      1. (A) The owner of the vessel identified on the trap buoy(s) cannot retrieve the traps due to one of the following circumstances: the permitted vessel is incapacitated due to a major mechanical failure, is destroyed due to fire, capsizing, or sinking, or the owner or operator has an undue hardship resulting from circumstances beyond the control of the vessel owner.
      2. (B) The vessel owner makes a request for a waiver in writing to the department's License and Revenue Branch.
      3. (C) The department approves the waiver request.
   2. (2) A copy of the waiver approved by the department shall be on board the retrieving vessel.
   3. (3) The waiver shall include conditions such as time restrictions, landing prohibitions, or any other conditions the department deems necessary.
8. (h) It is unlawful to violate any restriction or fail to comply with any requirement imposed by this regulation.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 713, 1050, 7857, 8591, 8842 and 12000, Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections 1050, 8590, 8591, 8595, 8842, 9001 and 9015, Fish and Game Code.

History

1. New section filed 3-25-2002; operative 3-29-2002 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2002, No. 13).

2. Amendment of section and Note filed 1-17-2003; operative 2-16-2003 (Register 2003, No. 3).

3. Change without regulatory effect pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations, amending subsection (b) and Note in accordance with section 713 of the Fish and Game Code, filed 5-11-2005; operative 6-10-2005 pursuant to the Commission's instructions (Register 2005, No. 19).

4. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (b) filed 12-19-2006 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2006, No. 51).

5. Amendment of subsection (b) filed 10-5-2010; operative 11-4-2010 (Register 2010, No. 41).

6. Amendment of subsection (c)(4), new subsections (c)(5)-(7)(B) and amendment of subsection (d) filed 4-7-2025 as an emergency; operative 4-7-2025 (Register 2025, No. 15). A Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 10-6-2025 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

7. Amendment of subsection (c)(4), new subsections (c)(5)-(7)(B) and amendment of subsection (d) refiled 9-29-2025 as an emergency; operative 10-3-2025 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(2) (Register 2025, No. 40). A Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 1-2-2026 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

8. Amendment of subsection (c)(4), new subsections (c)(5)-(7)(B) and amendment of subsection (d) refiled 1-2-2026 as an emergency; operative 1-2-2026 (Register 2026, No. 1). A Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 4-2-2026 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

9. Certificate of compliance as to 1-2-2026 order, including further amendment of section, transmitted to OAL 3-18-2026 and filed 4-28-2026; amendments operative 4-28-2026 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2026, No. 18).