Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 12, March 22, 2024
(a) Areas. Section
8495 of
the Fish and Game Code designates the California Halibut Trawl Grounds as
certain state waters along the mainland shore between Point Arguello and Point
Mugu and specifies that this area is open to trawling when the season is open.
Subdivision
8495(c) specifies
four sub-areas within the California Halibut Trawl Grounds that will close to
trawling commencing April 1, 2008, unless the commission makes findings as
defined in that subdivision.
(1) Open Areas.
Because the commission has made the requisite findings for three of the
aforementioned four sub-areas within the California Halibut Trawl Grounds, the
commission authorizes the following waters to remain open to trawling
commencing June 16, 2008, and thereafter when the season is open,
notwithstanding subdivision
8495(c) of the
Fish and Game Code:
(A) Rocky Point (near
Point Arguello) to Point Conception: From a line extending from Rocky Point
true south (180°) and out three miles, the ocean waters extending south and
east lying between one and three nautical miles from the mainland shore to a
line extending true west (270°) from a point on land approximately one-half
mile north of Point Conception at latitude 34° 27.5'.
(B) Santa Barbara Point to Pitas Point: The
ocean waters lying between one and two nautical miles from the mainland shore
lying east of a line extending true south (180°) from Santa Barbara Point
and west of a line extending true south (180°) from Pitas Point.
(C) Hueneme Canyon to Laguna Point: From the
eastern border of the IMO Vessel Traffic safety zone on NOAA/NOS Chart 18725 in
Hueneme Canyon, the ocean waters extending south and east lying between one and
three nautical miles from the mainland shore to a line extending true south
(180°) from Laguna Point.
(2) Closed Areas. The waters permanently
closed to trawling within the California Halibut Trawl Grounds are those
specified in subdivision
8495(b) of the
Fish and Game Code, and the following sub-area identified in subdivision
8495(c) of the
Fish and Game Code:
(A) Point Conception to
Gaviota: The ocean waters between one and three nautical miles from the
mainland shore lying east of a line extending true south (180°) from a
point on land approximately ½ mile east of Point Conception at longitude
120° 27.5', and west of a line extending due south from
Gaviota.
(b)
Gears. Special gear requirements apply while trawling for California halibut in
the California Halibut Trawl grounds. Each trawl net, including trawl doors and
footrope chain, shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Each trawl net shall have a headrope not
exceeding 90 feet in length. The headrope is defined as a chain, rope, or wire
attached to the trawl webbing forming the leading edge of the top panel of the
trawl net. Headrope shall be measured from where it intersects the bridle on
the left side of the net to where it intersects the bridle on the right side of
the net.
(2) The thickness of the
webbing of any portion of the trawl net shall not exceed 7 millimeters in
diameter.
(3) Each trawl door shall
not exceed 500 pounds in weight.
(4) Any chain attached to the footrope shall
not exceed one quarter inch in diameter of the link material. The footrope is
defined as a rope or wire attached to the trawl webbing forming the leading
edge of the bottom panel of the trawl net.
(5) The trawl shall have no rollers or
bobbins on any part of the net or footrope. Rollers or bobbins are devices made
of wood, steel, rubber, plastic, or other hard material that encircle the trawl
footrope. These devices are commonly used to either bounce or pivot over seabed
obstructions, in order to prevent the trawl footrope and net from snagging on
the seabed.
1. New
section filed 8-12-2008; operative 8-12-2008 pursuant to Government Code
section
11343.4
(Register 2008, No. 33).
2. Amendment of subsection (a)(2)(A), new
subsections (b)-(b)(5) and amendment of NOTE filed 7-14-2009; operative
8-13-2009 (Register 2009, No. 29).
Note: Authority cited: Sections
8841
and
8495,
Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections
8392,
8494,
8495,
8496,
8497,
8830,
8831,
8837,
8840,
8841
and
8843,
Fish and Game Code.
