FROM THE SHOP / REGULATIONS
Closed-area transit
under SB 1393.
Fishermen have asked what California’s SB 1393 changes for a boat that still fishes traditional pots. This note is the transit rule, as the press reported it, and how that differs from pop-up gear.
What changed
SB 1393 was signed around September 27, 2026. It extends California’s Dungeness entanglement-risk and RAMP-related programs, and the trap-limit measures that go with them, into the 2030s. Coverage in National Fisherman and SeafoodSource puts that extension through about 2037.
The part that changes a trip is closed-area transit. A commercial boat may cross a closed zone with crab and traps aboard when all of these hold:
- 72 hours’ notice to CDFW.
- Electronic monitoring stays on.
- Continuous transit faster than 3 knots.
A direct route. No stopping, except a mechanical emergency.
- Gear secured so the traps cannot be fished.
That includes leaving them unbaited.
Zone status still comes from CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page. This note does not replace that notice.
What that means on the water
For boats that fish traditional pots, the transit rule is the practical change. It is a clearer way to move between open and closed water with gear and crab aboard, when the conditions above are met.
Those conditions are the rule. Drop below that speed, stop for a reason other than a mechanical emergency, leave the route, or leave a trap able to fish, and the allowance does not cover the trip. Read the two news reports, then confirm the current closure on the CDFW page before you leave the dock.
Pop-up gear vs this law
Pop-up gear is a different subject. CDFW has authorized approved alternative pop-up gear during whale-risk periods, when traditional trap fishing is closed in certain zones. In spring 2026 that included Zones 4 and 5, then Zone 3. On those systems the buoy line stays coiled on the seafloor until a remote signal lets it go.
That is a late-season and closure-window option. It is not a stand-in for the main traditional-trap season. SB 1393 does not require pop-up gear.
Pop-up systems are electronics and retrieval gear from specialist makers, including Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian. Commercial Crab Pots does not sell them.
What the shop builds
We build traditional stainless Dungeness pots. Those pots are the workhorse for the main season. We do not sell pop-up or on-demand release systems, and a CCP pot is not a requirement for a pop-up string.
If you want a traditional pot talked through, call the shop. We will keep following CDFW notices on Fishing updates.