Is it legal for me to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay for fish to put in my new aquarium?

[homersimpsonlikesfish]

Is it legal for me to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay for fish to put in my future aquarium? I want to have a coldwater saltwater aquarium. I'm planning on either a 40 or 55 gallon tank. Obviously I would fish for only the small fishes. Would this work?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Is it legal for me to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay for fish to put in my future aquarium? I want to have a coldwater saltwater aquarium. I'm planning on either a 40 or 55 gallon tank. Obviously I would fish for only the small fishes. Would this work?

Contact your local wildlife/fisheries authority.

 

[00W]

Everywhere in the bay area are size restrictions, at least for fishing.
If caught with too small you can get a costly ticket.
Different fish have different size limits,but those limits are way too big for a hobbiests tank anyways.
Don't know about the tide pools, but those are in a different area and I believe they're pretty strict as well.
Best to check as mentioned above.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Everywhere in the bay area are size restrictions, at least for fishing.
If caught with too small you can get a costly ticket.
Different fish have different size limits,but those limits are way too big for a hobbiests tank anyways.
Don't know about the tide pools, but those are in a different area and I believe they're pretty strict as well.
Best to check as mentioned above.

And regardless, I'm sure you'll need a current fishing license.

 

[Red_Beard]

As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal mentioned, best to ask dnr. Lots of states also prohibit live posession of game animals. Like if you caught a fish, and it was legal to posess as game, that does NOT mean that you can keep it alive as a pet, just eat it.

 

[mizimmer90]

As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal mentioned, best to ask dnr. Lots of states also prohibit live posession of game animals. Like if you caught a fish, and it was legal to posess as game, that does NOT mean that you can keep it alive as a pet, just eat it.

What if you're just keeping it fresh? Like for a really long time? In your living room?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Just to put this out there, there are places that sell coldwater specimens, including specimens native to California's coast (Matsu Collections is a great source for California specimens), so you could still set up a coldwater aquarium legally even if you can't collect the fish yourself:

A Comprehensive List of Coldwater Marine Livestock Sources - PLEASE GIVE SUGGESTIONS!

Considering the (somewhat) recent closure of Coldwater Marine Aquatics, I must ask the question: Where can you still find Coldwater Marine Livestock? Perhaps I should start a list of sources. Here it goes: In the States: Carolina Gulf of Maine Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories Matsu Collections...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Red_Beard]

What if you're just keeping it fresh? Like for a really long time? In your living room?

I may or may not know some people doing this very thing. Wanted to cook it, but something came up that evening. Couldn't let it to go bad lol.

 

[patdman]

Is it legal for me to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay for fish to put in my future aquarium? I want to have a coldwater saltwater aquarium. I'm planning on either a 40 or 55 gallon tank. Obviously I would fish for only the small fishes. Would this work?

I was thinking about catching an octopus.

 

[homersimpsonlikesfish]

As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal mentioned, best to ask dnr. Lots of states also prohibit live posession of game animals. Like if you caught a fish, and it was legal to posess as game, that does NOT mean that you can keep it alive as a pet, just eat it.

Why is the fish and wildlife dept so against taking wildlife and keeping them as pets? Is it because of disease? Or are they just control freaks?

 

[00W]

And regardless, I'm sure you'll need a current fishing license.

Correct.
This is more where they got you every time.
I was born in the bay area, basically on the boat. We got boarded a few times. They never cared about live or dead fish.
They would just take them out of the cooler and measure them.

 

[00W]

Why is the fish and wildlife dept so against taking wildlife and keeping them as pets? Is it because of disease? Or are they just control freaks?

Invasive species issues.

 

[homersimpsonlikesfish]

Invasive species issues.

Huh?

 

[patdman]

Correct.
This is more where they got you every time.
I was born in the bay area, basically on the boat. We got boarded a few times. They never cared about live or dead fish.
They would just take them out of the cooler and measure them.

Agree. I used to come to the Bay Area to fish for Dungeness crabs until the whales got in the way. I always took fish home to eat like ling cod. I also ate octopus. I just wanted to keep one for a pet. When I was there in the bay area, we always parked the boat at Hyde Street pier. The best times. I go up town and trade crabs to Chinese vendors. Maybe take some to the mamas an and get good massage

 

[AydenLincoln]

Unless you catch fish that are seen as food and can be kept under the regulations of commercial fishing and above the size restrictions everything else which includes anything in tide pools and most inverts are protected. That being said a majority of fish collected as food will be too big or unfit for an aquarium in the long run or even short run and releasing anything back into the wild is illegal even if it’s native. So my advice don’t attempt it especially in a tank that small.

 

[JayM]

It’s generally illegal to transport live fish from the waters in which they were caught anywhere in CA.

That said, it’s perfectly legal to catch fish for your aquarium - you just can’t legally transport them after you do, so don’t waste your time.

 

[littlefoxx]

I was thinking about catching an octopus.

I hope that was a joke!! Lol

 

[littlefoxx]

Yeah OP fish and game officers take that super seriously, I wouldnt risk it since the answer is probably a no and with how restrictive california is on other stuff Ill bet its a no…

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I was thinking about catching an octopus.

An octopus is fully legal to catch and keep in Cali. But illegal to transport live fish.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I have been round and round with DFW about the ridiculous and inconsistencies of the laws. In the end they always say "We are here to enforce the laws not make them." You can do a lot with a fishing license with an ocean stamp. Some just not so direct. For example; seaweed and kelp are covered in plankton and zooplankton. You are allowed to collect a certain amount of kelp per day. All that attached planktonic material can grow into something else. Some mollusks can be collected, such as an octopus and certain snails, etc. A piece of old pier wood can have strawberry anemones on them, which are not really anemones but a type of NPS coral. Just search the DFW website of what you can and can not do. But you can end up having a pretty nice temperate tank.