Ocean Fishing in the Dark

October 21, 2010

Question: Sometimes when I’m fishing at night from shore off the coast, I can’t always tell exactly what I’ve caught. Figuring out the difference in the dark between the perches that have different size restrictions can also be hard. I don’t want to break any laws, but I usually like to take one fish home to eat. If I do catch a restricted species of some sort by mistake, how much would I be fined? Also, how can I know exactly what fish are legal to keep and which ones are not? (John N., Malibu)

Answer: You are responsible for anything that you catch and keep. Citation fines can be found on the “Bail and Penalties” link at www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/ and then you can expect for additional court fees to be added. The best thing for you (and the fish) would be to plan to fish while it’s still light enough that you can be sure of exactly what you’re catching. Otherwise, you’d better have a mighty good flashlight. Not being able to distinguish what fish you have in the dark is no excuse.

For an easy reference as to which species can be kept and which cannot, log onto the clickable fishing map on the marine region website at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/fishing_map.asp before you head out to fish. This is a great resource that you can always trust to be current. Just click on the map in the area where you intend to fish and a list of exactly what’s open, what’s closed and which species have special restrictions pops up. Click on any fish species you’re interested in learning more about and you’ll have access to their regulations as well as lots of interesting biological information.