Proposed new Marine Protected Areas near Santa Barbara County, recreational tuna gear changes and upcoming white seabass regulations were among actions with implications for Southern California anglers.
SACRAMENTO — Proposed changes to California’s network of marine protected areas are moving into the next stage of consideration following an October vote by the California Fish and Game Commission, with several of the actions carrying potential implications for Southern California boaters and anglers.
The Commission granted seven marine protected area petition actions for consideration through future rulemaking. Among them are two tribally led proposals that would create new MPAs at Point Sal and Carpinteria Reef, both along the Santa Barbara County coast.
The Carpinteria Reef proposal places part of the continuing statewide MPA review directly along the Southern California coast and could eventually affect how portions of those waters are managed. For local sportfishing operators, however, the potential effects extend beyond the boundaries of another protected area.
Jaime Diamond, owner of Stardust Sportfishing in Santa Barbara, said the Point Sal proposal is outside the geographic range of the company’s operations, but the Carpinteria proposal is a different matter.
“The closure off of Carpinteria will virtually eliminate our most affordable and accessible trip, the 1/2 day,” Diamond told The Log. “This will also eliminate our ability to offer introductory fishing trips for first timers, families, the elderly, or safe trips close to harbor for special needs children and severely disabled veterans.”
Diamond said the area also provides access to longstanding fishing grounds for species including calico bass, sand bass, white seabass, barracuda and halibut. In her view, losing access to those grounds would be particularly significant because other areas traditionally used for those fisheries are already within MPAs.
Her concerns extend beyond the sportfishing fleet. Diamond described the Carpinteria area as an important entry point for people learning to fish, dive and participate in other forms of ocean recreation.
“The addition of an MPA off of Carpinteria will be the end of the local learning fishing grounds,” Diamond said. “Carp Reef, Horseshoe Rock, Horseshoe Kelp and the surrounding sandy bottom are located just off of Santa Claus Beach, where Carpinteria and Goleta-Ventura kids learn to fish, dive and hunt on or in the water.”
According to Diamond, the geography and relatively mild conditions around the beach make it more accessible for people launching fishing kayaks and using paddleboards, as well as those freediving for lobster or spearfishing.
“Safety and accessibility are the main points about this special area,” Diamond said. “There isn’t any similar spot nearby and kids, families, individuals will not be able to just ‘go somewhere else.’”
That distinction is particularly important for anglers operating smaller vessels. Diamond said skiff and small-boat fishermen may not have the vessels, equipment or experience necessary to make a Channel Islands crossing, making productive nearshore habitat especially valuable.
“Small boats and skiff fishermen will also take a big hit with this area being the last spot close to harbor with the variety of habitat and species opportunity,” Diamond said. “These fishermen are not able to battle the channel crossing and fish the islands.”
The Commission’s vote does not mean the proposed MPAs or other regulatory changes have been approved or will immediately take effect. Petition actions granted by the Commission must proceed through additional review, including analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act and the state’s standard regulatory process. That process includes public notice, a discussion hearing and, ultimately, an adoption hearing before regulations can become effective.
As that process continues, Diamond said she wants regulators to consider not only conservation objectives but also who currently uses accessible nearshore fishing grounds and whether those users have realistic alternatives if access is restricted.
“The discussion surrounding marine conservation must account for the everyday Californians who rely on these accessible nearshore waters,” Diamond said. “Recreational ocean access is not a privilege reserved for affluent boat owners; it is an essential resource for working families, local youth, skiff operators, kayak anglers, spearfishermen, and charter guests who save for an occasional day on the water.”
Diamond characterized access to the fishery as a food issue as well as a recreational one.
“This is grocery shopping, not trophy hunting,” she said.
Diamond said the ability to relocate fishing activity farther offshore is also not equal among recreational anglers.
“Our coastline is not interchangeable,” Diamond said. “While well-resourced vessel owners can travel long distances or cross the channel when nearshore grounds are closed, average working Californians face insurmountable barriers in fuel costs, travel time and equipment.”
She described the Carpinteria Reef area as one of the remaining safe and accessible nearshore reef structures near Santa Barbara Harbor, providing opportunities for charter passengers, families and others who may not otherwise have practical access to offshore fishing.
Diamond also questioned whether provisions allowing shore fishing would provide an equivalent alternative for people who currently access reef habitat by boat or kayak.
“A kayak angler or charter passenger cannot simply replicate their experience or access offshore reef habitat from the beach,” Diamond said. “Imposing another permanent fishing restriction disproportionately harms those with the fewest resources to go elsewhere, undermining coastal equity.”
The petitions stem from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Decadal Management Review of the state’s MPA Network. Twenty petitions were submitted to the Commission in 2023 by California tribes and other stakeholders, containing more than 80 proposed regulatory and non-regulatory changes.
Proposals have included creating new MPAs, expanding existing boundaries, changing recreational or commercial fishing allowances within certain protected areas, adding a tribal take exemption and renaming an MPA.
Fifteen petitions remained for Commission action heading into the October meeting. In addition to granting seven petition actions, commissioners supported moving four non-regulatory actions forward.
For Southern California anglers, the process is significant because the region already contains an extensive network of protected areas stretching from Santa Barbara County through Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and around the Channel Islands. Depending on their designation, individual MPAs can restrict or prohibit the recreational take of marine species, making boundaries and permitted activities particularly important for anglers planning trips along the coast.
Tuna Gear Rules Change
The Commission also adopted regulations allowing recreational anglers to use harpoons and flying gaffs to assist in landing tuna.
The action is particularly relevant to Southern California’s offshore fishing community, where bluefin and yellowfin tuna are major recreational targets and larger fish can require specialized equipment at the final stages of a fight.
The Commission didn’t adopt a proposed amendment intended to clarify restrictions on the recreational use of spears to take marlin. Existing prohibitions involving possession of spears aboard recreational vessels when marlin have been taken remain in effect.
Changes were also approved to gear-marking requirements in the commercial swordfish harpoon fishery to help enforcement officers distinguish harpoon buoys from equipment used in other commercial fisheries.
Los Angeles County Trout Waters Updated
Commission actions also extended to inland fishing opportunities in Southern California.
Approximately 29 miles of the West Fork San Gabriel River, including Bear Creek in Los Angeles County, were designated as Heritage Trout Water. Approximately three miles of Arroyo Seco upstream of Devil’s Gate Dam, also in Los Angeles County, received a Wild Trout Water designation.
Heritage Trout Waters are required to sustain native trout within the species’ historic range, while Wild Trout Waters support self-sustaining trout populations and are managed to provide angling opportunities while allowing populations to reproduce naturally. Hatchery trout stocking is restricted within designated waters.
The Commission also removed the Wild Trout Water designation from approximately 25 miles of Sespe Creek in Ventura County.
White Seabass Rules Coming Up
Another issue Southern California anglers may want to follow is the recreational white seabass fishery.
The Commission authorized public notice of potential changes to the recreational minimum size limit for white seabass. A discussion hearing is scheduled for the Commission’s Dec. 15-16 meeting, with an adoption hearing scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11, 2027.
White seabass are an important recreational species along the Southern California coast and around the Channel Islands, making any potential change to the minimum size limit particularly relevant to private boaters, sportfishing operations and other saltwater anglers.
No change to the minimum size has been adopted at this stage. The upcoming hearings will provide additional opportunities for the proposed regulations to be discussed before commissioners consider final action.
The next regularly scheduled California Fish and Game Commission meeting is Dec. 15 and 16, 2026, in Sacramento, with participation also available through Zoom or by phone. Additional information about the MPA petitions and the Commission’s decisions is available through CDFW’s MPA Management Program.
