SpearfishingMap

United States of America · Spearfishing zone

North Farallon Islands Special Closure (California)

Prohibited zonespecial closure (entry prohibited)

What this zone is

Overview

How spearfishing is treated at North Farallon Islands Special Closure (California).

Year-round no-entry closure at the four islets of the North Farallon Islands, 48 km west of the Golden Gate. 14 CCR 632(b)(52) closes the water from the mean high tide line out to 1,000 feet seaward of mean lower low tide around North Farallon Island itself and 300 feet around the three southern islets including the Island of St. James; subsection (C) then forbids any person from entering that band without department permission. The islets are Steller sea lion haul-outs and hold roughly 72,000 nesting seabirds, and CDFW confirms that "No person ... shall enter the area." The same waters also lie inside the North Farallon Islands SMR, where all take is separately prohibited.

On the coast

Location

Approximate reference point for this zone. See the full picture on the interactive map.

37.7674°N, 123.1012°W

View on the map

Source

This zone is documented in the official source below.

Before you dive

License for United States of America

Whether you need a license to spearfish here, and how to get one.

License requiredvia State fish and wildlife agencies (e.g. FWC Florida, CDFW California, Hawaii DLNR/DAR, TPWD Texas); NOAA Fisheries for federal waters/HMS permits.

Purchase from the relevant state fish and wildlife agency online portal, license vendors, or in person. Requirements differ by state and by resident/non-resident status.

Get your license

Opens the official portal · fisheries.noaa.gov

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