Fishing & MPA Resources

Resources for Fishing & Marine Protected Areas

Check out this page for useful resources for fishing and MPAs (including mobile resources!), ways to get involved with MPA research, and exciting videos about saltwater fishing in California.

Take Our Survey: Understanding California Angler Needs

We are conducting a study to better understand YOUR preferences and needs when it comes to resources for California’s marine protected areas.

Help us get you the information you want and need by taking this short survey!

CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Interactive Web Map

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers an interactive map for referencing relevant ocean sportfishing information. Try this resource on your next fishing trip! This new resource is designed to help you visualize sport fishing regulation boundaries, including marine protected areas and groundfish conservation area depth restrictions, on your mobile phone.

CDFW Ocean Sportfishing Interactive Web Map

CDFW Marine Protected Area Network Regulations & Maps

Visit California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s MPA page. Using the map or the links, you can select the portion of the coast that you are interested in to access MPA regulations, maps and other information for that area.

CDFW MPA Regulations & Maps

CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations

Visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations for the most up to date information, rules, and regulations about ocean sport fishing in California. You can find regulations, fish identification tools, How-to-Fish videos, maps, and further information.

CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations

FishLegal Saltwater Fishing Maps & Regulations Mobile Application

This mobile application includes MPA boundaries, associated MPA regulations and allows for MPA map and info lookup without cellular signal. Users are able to pinpoint their exact location relative to each MPA.

The app is free to download from the iTunes App store and on Google Play.

FishLegal

Navionics Mobile Application & Marine Charts

Go cruising, fishing and sailing with the same detailed charts and advanced features used on the best GPS plotters – get the most out of your time on the water!

Mobile app and charts showing MPAs available for download!

Navionics Chart Viewer

Fishing & MPAs Mobile Information Postcard

Postcards highlighting access to mobile MPA and fishing information were produced as a low-cost resource for far-reaching dissemination. Requests for copies continue.

Mobile Information Postcard

Fishing & MPAs Information Poster

A waterproof poster (11′ x 17″) displaying mobile MPA resources.

Harbor Signs

Signs installed at harbors and marinas across the state showcasing the area MPAs. Click the image for a high resolution image.

Crescent City

Humboldt

Shelter Cove

Noyo

Point Arena

Ocean Cove

Bodega Bay

Point Reyes

San Francisco

Pillar Point

Santa Cruz

Moss Landing

Monterey

Morro Bay

Port San Luis

Santa Barbara Channel

Los Angeles

Catalina

Orange County

San Diego

Fishing & MPAs Brochures

Brochures showcasing a map of the area MPAs and regulations. Click the image to download a high resolution PDF.

Crescent City

Humboldt

Noyo

Point Arena

Ocean Cove

Bodega Bay

San Francisco

Pillar Point

Santa Cruz

Moss Landing

Monterey

Morro Bay

Santa Barbara

Ventura

Los Angeles

Orange County

Catalina

Good News for Calico Bass Fishing in California

The most-caught saltwater fish is also the most-released fish in Southern California. What changes in Southern California’s calico bass population have you experienced? Watch this video on YouTube and let us know your thoughts on the current state of calico bass fishing in California.

Fishing for Answers with California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program

What is CCFRP? The California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program is a partnership of people and communities interested in our fisheries. By combining the expertise and ideas of fishermen and scientists, CCFRP has successfully established protocols to gather information for fisheries management through utilizing local charter boats and the help of numerous volunteer anglers to study growth rates and fish density in California MPAs. Watch this video to learn more about the program and how to get involved!

Conservation Through the Eyes of a Child Angler

Less screen-time, more sea-time! Check out this video about the joy and life lessons learned straight from fishing kids. Healthy productive oceans, sustainable populations, it’s up to all of us to keep the next generation on the water! Wise beyond their years, see the world of fishing and ocean conservation through the eyes of a child with this short video.

Fishing the Line in California

Fish Movement and Spillover… Myth or Reality? One of the best ways to tell whether spillover is working is to look where the anglers are positioning their boats. Are they are consistently setting up their boats on the boundary lines of protected areas? If so, they are doing it for a reason! Protected areas are working, both in terms of protecting fish and “spilling over” fish for anglers to catch outside the boundary line.

Become a Volunteer Angler with CCFRP

Hey anglers! Ever wish you could be more involved with the evaluation of California’s marine protected areas (MPAs)? Check out the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), an alliance of people and communities interested in fisheries sustainability.

With the help of volunteer anglers and the fishing community, CCFRP collects data on economically important nearshore species to provide information for fisheries management and the evaluation of MPA performance. Contribute to research and learn more about nearshore fish along the California coast by becoming a volunteer angler!

For more information, visit: www.mlml.calstate.edu/ccfrp/

Adaptively Managing California’s MPA Network

In January 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) released the first ever comprehensive evaluation of the Network. The Decadal Management Review (DMR) laid the foundation for future discussions about adaptive management, and the findings resulted in an invitation to the public to submit petitions to amend the MPA network in late 2023.

Managing the MPA Network

CDFW employs a strategy called “adaptive management,” to ensure MPAs continue to provide strong protections for coastal and marine biodiversity, especially in the face of climate change. But what exactly is adaptive management? In the case of California’s MPAs, adaptive management entails a strategy that seeks to improve management of biological resources, particularly in areas of scientific uncertainty. Management actions shall be designed so that, even if they fail, they will provide useful information for future actions, and monitoring and evaluation shall be emphasized so that the interaction of different elements within marine systems may be better understood.

Petitions for Regulatory Change

One tool that can be used in adaptive management are petitions for regulatory change. While CDFW manages and enforces MPA regulations, the regulations themselves are maintained by the California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC). Late last year, CFGC invited members of the public to submit petitions to amend California’s network of MPAs in light of the results shown in the DMR. The CFGC received a total of 20 petitions that contained over 80 individual requests for MPA regulation amendments.

CDFW developed a three-phase approach to evaluate the petitions, which was approved by the CFGC in April 2024. Phase 1, sorting of the petitions, is now complete. Five petitions were sorted into Bin 1, petitions that have enough information for CDFW to evaluate the petitions and make recommendations in the near-term, and the remaining 15 were sorted into Bin 2, longer-term petitions that need policy guidance, additional data or information, and/or resources to support proper evaluation. CDFW’s draft recommendations for Bin 1 petitions are now available for review.

Want to get involved in marine protected area (MPA) management?

Learn more and follow along with the MPA petition process! Check out the resources below for more information.

Check out the MPA Petitions StoryMap: Recently, CDFW released a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) Petitions StoryMap to help provide information about the submitted petitions. Each of the 80 proposed changes can be viewed on an interactive map, and there are web pages with maps and specific details for each petition.
Provide Feedback on CDFW’s draft recommendations for Bin 1 petitions. Comments may be sent directly to the California Fish and Game Commission. Instructions on how to submit written comments and how to participate in the upcoming Marine Resource Committee and California Fish and Game Commission meetings can be found on their website.
Visit CDFW’s DMR website
Sign up for CFGC’s mailing list and check out the upcoming meeting dates

The mission of the California’s Marine Protected Areas Education and Outreach Initiative is to enhance MPA education through enduring partnerships to empower Californians to protect what they know and love.

Fishing & MPA Resources

Resources for Fishing & Marine Protected Areas

Take Our Survey: Understanding California Angler Needs

CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Interactive Web Map

CDFW Marine Protected Area Network Regulations & Maps

CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations

FishLegal Saltwater Fishing Maps & Regulations Mobile Application

Navionics Mobile Application & Marine Charts

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