California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 1 - Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game
Subdivision 1 - Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles
Chapter 6 - Fish, Commercial
Section 150.06 - Commercial Groundfish Area Management Defined

(a) California Groundfish Restriction Areas. The California Groundfish Restriction Areas minimize interaction with particular species of groundfish that cannot be selectively avoided and must be protected by limiting or prohibiting fishing in certain depths or areas for federal groundfish and all greenlings of the genus Hexagrammos and are defined as follows:

For state waters north of 36° N lat. (near Point Lopez, Monterey County), the California Groundfish Restriction Area is established by the mainland coast boundary defined in Title 14, CCR section 35.00 and the shoreward Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as defined in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, section 600.10.

(b) Except for purposes of continuous transit, it is prohibited to take and retain or possess federal groundfish, as defined in section 1.91, within the California Groundfish Restriction Area. Continuous transit is defined as on a heading as nearly as practicable to a direct route through a California Groundfish Restriction Area or closed waters, while maintaining expeditious headway throughout transit without delay and with fishing gear stowed and secured in such a manner that it is rendered unusable for fishing.

(c) Seasonal closure periods and in-season closures enacted due to quota attainment for groundfish, other than those specified in 150.16(e)(5)(A), noticed in the Federal Register in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 600 and 660 by the National Marine Fisheries Service are extended to apply in state waters south of 36° N lat. (near Point Lopez, Monterey County). See also Section 189, Title 14, California Code of Regulations for additional explanation regarding fishing for federal groundfish in state waters.