(a) Unless otherwise specified by the commission pursuant subdivision (b), within the California halibut trawl grounds the following requirements shall apply to the use of trawl nets:
(1) Open season and hours of operation shall be as follows:
(A) Open season shall be June 16 to March 14, inclusive.
(B) In the designated halibut trawl grounds within Monterey Bay and offshore of Port San Luis, trawl fishing gear may only be deployed to capture fish between sunrise and sunset.
(2) California halibut shall only be taken pursuant to Section 8392.
(3) Not more than 500 pounds of fish other than California halibut may be possessed, except that any amount of sea cucumbers may be possessed by a person who holds a valid sea cucumber permit and who meets any conditions adopted by the commission pursuant to Section 8405.3, and any amount of sharks, skates, or rays for which the take or possession of that species is not otherwise prohibited by this code may be taken or possessed.
(4) It is unlawful to operate a trawl net in a way that damages or destroys other types of fishing gear that is buoyed or otherwise visibly marked.
(5) Sections 8833 and 8836 do not apply to trawl nets when used or possessed on California halibut trawl grounds.
(6) Trawl nets described in Section 8843 shall only be used within the halibut trawl grounds.
(7) Single bags and cod-ends or double bags and cod-ends may be used within the halibut trawl grounds and may be possessed while a vessel is in transit directly to the halibut trawl grounds or returning directly to port. Double bags shall be hung and tied to each rib line so that the knots of each layer coincide, knot for knot, for the full length of the double layers. The double mesh section shall not measure over 25 meshes or 12 feet in length, whichever is greater. The individual meshes in the double section shall measure not less than seven and one-half inches in length.
(8) No net, whose cod-end meshes are less than prescribed in this section, may be possessed on any vessel that is operating under the authority of this section.
(b) The commission may reduce the length of the open season or hours of operation, or either of those, specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a). The commission may also modify any of the requirements of paragraphs (2) to (8), inclusive, of subdivision (a) to make those requirements more restrictive.
(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 985, Sec. 9. (SB 1309) Effective January 1, 2019.)