Experimental Fishing Permit Program

This page provides information on Experimental Fishing Permits (EFPs) under review, active permits, and historical or inactive permits, along with links to associated documentation and Commission actions.

Background

Effective January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill 1573 (Chapter 477, Statutes of 2018) added new California Fish and Game Code Section 1022, which provides for the development of a state Experimental Fishing Permit (EFP) Program to facilitate fishery-related exploration and experimentation to inform fisheries management. The new law requires the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) to establish by regulation an “expeditious process” for California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) review, public review and comment, Commission approval, and prompt Department issuance of EFPs. The legislation also repealed experimental gear permit provisions in Fish and Game Code Section 8606.

Under the new law, the Commission has the authority to approve commercial or recreational marine fishing activities for the purposes of research, education, limited testing, data collection, compensation fishing, conservation engineering, exploratory fishing, or any combination of these purposes that would otherwise be prohibited by Fish and Game Code or applicable regulations. The new law requires EFPs to be issued by the Department, subject to certain conditions and requirements deemed necessary by the Commission to ensure that activities authorized under an EFP are consistent with overarching state management goals and policies set forth in Fish and Game Code Section 7050 and any applicable fishery management plan.

The process for reviewing, approving, issuing, and administering EFPs for marine fishing activities are outlined in sections 91 and 704, Title 14, California Code of Regulations.

For more information about the EFP Program including instructions for how to apply, visit the
Department's EFP website(opens in new tab).

If you would like to receive notices regarding the EFP Program, please join our electronic mailing list(opens in new tab)
(EFP notices are sent to lists FGC 5d Fishing - Commercial Notices and FGC 5f Fishing - Recreational Ocean Notices).

Pending EFPs

EFP applications which are still undergoing review and are considered "pending".

Coonstripe Shrimp Fishery Bycatch #2026-01

EFP Tracking ID #2026-01

Status: Pending

Purpose: To collect information on East Pacific red octopus abundance and quantify bycatch within the coonstripe shrimp trap fishery in the Southern Management Zone (Sonoma/Mendocino County border to the U.S/Mexico border)

Documentation:

  • Notice of EFP Application (PDF) - September 4, 2026
  • Application (PDF) - Pending
  • Notice of Receipt of Recommendation and Consideration - Pending
  • Department of Fish and Wildlife memorandum - Pending
  • Proposed Terms and Conditions - Pending
  • Discussion and Consideration Hearing - Pending
  • Commission Decision - Pending

Active EFPs

Active EFPs are those which have been approved and are currently active permits.

In order for an EFP to become active, the EFP must be approved and then the applicant must pay an initiation fee. The EFP does not become active until the initiation fee has been paid. The effective date reflects the start of an EFP becoming operational.

Longlining Traditional Gear #2023-04 (Initiated 2025)

EFP Tracking ID #2023-04

Applicant: Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and California Coast Crab Association

Effective: April 10, 2025

Status: Active

Purpose: To test the commercial use of longlining traditional trap gear (i.e., connecting two or more traps together by a common line) in the California Dungeness crab fishery to inform alternative gear certification under the Department’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Program

Amendment 1 Purpose: 1) Increase the maximum approved authorized agents and vessels; 2) allow for transit through and safe anchorage in Marine Protected Areas; 3) increase maximum traps per string

Documents:

National Marine Sanctuary Foundation #2023-02 (Initiated 2023)

EFP Tracking ID #2023-02

Applicant: National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Effective: August 4, 2023

Status: Active

Purpose: To test the commercial use of several pop-up fishing systems in the California Dungeness crab, with Department facilitation, to inform alternative gear under the Department’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Program

Amendment 1 Purpose: 1) Add more approved pop-up fishing systems; 2) increase authorized agents and vessels; 3) and add rock crab as permitted fishery

Amendment 2 Purpose: 1) Increase traps per trawl, trap service interval, 2) authorized agents and vessels; 3) match traps deployed per trip to fishermen permit tier level

Amendment 3 Purpose: 1) Add more approved pop-up fishing systems; 2) add spot prawn as permitted fishery

Documents:

Sustainable Seas Technology #2023-01 (Initiated 2024)

EFP Tracking ID #2023-01

Applicant: Kim Sawicki , Sustainable Seas Technology, INC

Effective: January 18, 2024

Status: Active

Purpose: To 1) collect biological and fishery data to help fill critical information gaps for brown box crab and California king crab and 2) test the effects and efficacy of using pop-up gear fishing systems (also known as “ropeless,” “lineless,” and “on-demand” fishing systems) in the brown box crab experimental fishery

Amendment 1 Purpose: Increase the trap service interval

Amendment 2 Purpose: 1) Add other king crabs as permitted fisheries; 2) add permitted concurrent fisheries; 3) increase quotas, trap limits, authorized agents and vessels; 4) modified geographic scope and fishing area; 5) modified quota structure; 6) and add a weather exemption to the trap service interval

Documentation:

Deep-Set and Night-Set Buoy Gear Fishing #2022-01 (Initiated 2022)

EFP Tracking ID #2022-01

Applicant: Nathan Perez

Effective: August 31, 2022

Status: Active

Purpose: To test the use of deep-set buoy gear and night-set buoy gear configurations to harvest swordfish, Pacific bluefin tuna, opah, common thresher shark, and other highly migratory species in specific areas within California state waters

Amendment 1 Purpose:1) Increase authorized vessels and agents, and 2) expand the fishing footprint diameter off the Channel Islands expanding from 3.0 to 3.5 nautical miles

Amendment 2 Purpose:Increase authorized agents and vessels

Documentation:

Inactive EFPs

Inactive EFPs are those which have lapsed (were not renewed), were approved but the initiation fee was not paid, or applications were rescinded or denied.

Southern Pacific Sardine Data Project #2025-01 (2025 - Application withdrawn)

EFP Tracking ID #2025-01

Applicant: Richard Ashley, Long Beach Bait Company

Status: Application withdrawn

Purpose: To collect data on commercial harvest of the southern subpopulation of Pacific sardine using a habitat model to inform purse seine fishing south of Point Conception

Documentation:

Sub Sea Buoy Retrieval in Northern Crab Fisheries (2024 - Denied)

EFP Tracking ID #2024-01

Applicant: Brand Little, Fishing Vessel Pale Horse

Status: Denied

Purpose: To provide data for evaluating the potential for a commercial fishery for brown box crab, and to evaluate the feasibility of using on-demand fishing systems in deep water (50 to 125 fathoms)

Documentation:

Hoop Nets for Dungeness Crab Fishing (2023-2025)

EFP Tracking ID #2023-03

Applicant: Craig Thomsson

Effective: March 21, 2024 - March 20, 2025

Expiration Date: March 20, 2025

Status: Inactive (Did not renew)

Purpose: To test the commercial use of hoop nets in the California Dungeness crab fishery to evaluate alternative gear for potential authorization under the Department’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Program

Documentation:

Sub Sea Sonics Pop-up Gear Fishing (2022-2026)

EFP Tracking ID #2022-03

Applicant: Bart Chadwick, Sub Sea Sonics

Effective: March 6, 2023 - March 5, 2026

Status: Inactive (Completed)

Purpose: To test the commercial use of Sub Sea Sonics’ timed and acoustic release pop-up gear systems in conjunction with Longsoaker Fishing System’s Guardian line management system in the Dungeness crab fishery to collect information to inform future alternative gear certification under the Department’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Program

Amendment 1 Purpose: 1) To increase the number of authorized agents; 2) to increase the maximum number of traps per string; 3) to increase the maximum number of traps per vessel; 4) and to include the hagfish fishery in the testing of the use of timed and acoustic release pop-up gear

Amendment 2 Purpose: To 1) increase the number of authorized agents and vessels; 2) exempt Permit Holders, Entity Administrators, and support staff from the requirement to hold a commercial fishing license and general trap permit if they are only involved in implementation, testing and gear support; 3) allow commercial fishing for sablefish, coonstripe shrimp, spot prawn, Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon to occur on the same trip as Dungeness crab fishing under the EFP; 4) report harvest as pounds of crab instead of number of crabs; 5) increase the per-vessel trap limit; 6) allow on-demand line handling sleds to satisfy the requirement for marking at least one terminal end of the trawl and clarify the sled is not a fishing trap; 7) increase the maximum number of traps per trawl; 8) increase the trap service interval in both the Dungeness and hagfish fisheries; 9) specify contingency plans to facilitate trap recovery in the event of unforeseen setbacks for EFP participants; 10) direct the Department to work with electronic monitoring system providers to notify fishers if their electronic monitoring system is not working, and develop subsequent contingencies for the fishers

Documentation:

Puget Buoy Pop-up Gear Fishing (2022 - Never Initiated)

EFP Tracking ID #2022-04

Applicant:Dylan Diefendorf, Puget Buoy

Status: Inactive (Did not pay initiation fee)

Purpose: To test the commercial use of Puget Buoy pop-up gear in the California Dungeness crab fishery to inform future alternative gear certification under the Department’s Risk Assessment Mitigation Program.

Documentation:

Exploratory Fishing for Deepwater Crabs (2022 - Never Initiated)

EFP Tracking ID #2022-02

Applicant: Johnathan Hillstrand

Status: Inactive (Did not pay initiation fee)

Purpose: To test the feasibility of capturing king and other deepwater crab species using crab pots (traps) while avoiding impacts to non-target species and habitats

Documentation: