Question: The regulations say crab traps must possess a buoy and each buoy must be legibly marked with the trap operator’s GO ID number as stated on his or her sport fishing license. If I’m fishing my crab trap off a pier (not a boat), am I still required to use a buoy with a GO ID? (Alvin)

Answer: There are several gear types that can be used for crabbing on a public pier. Crab traps are rigid in structure and require a destruct device and escape ports and are only allowed north of Point Arguello, Santa Barbara County. These traps are required to have a buoy marked with a the operator’s GO ID number. A hoop net is differentiated from a crab trap by being comprised of one to three rigid rings connected to soft mesh material. If deployed south of Point Arguello, Santa Barbara, this gear type is required to have a buoy marked with the operator’s GO ID number unless the trap is deployed from shore or a man-made structure like a public pier.

Crab loop traps (aka crab snares) are generally operated on a fishing rod-type implement and don’t require a buoy.

More details on these gear provisions can be found in California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80.