Beginning Saturday, July 21, sport anglers fishing from boats may not retain cabezon. Fishing for other bottomfish – such as most rockfish species, lingcod and greenling – remains open.
Landing data for the sport fishery indicates the ocean and estuary boat quota of 15.8 metric tons for cabezon has been met. Sport boat anglers may continue to harvest other legal species, but may not retain cabezon. Shore anglers, including shore-based divers, may still keep cabezon, as the shore fishery is managed under a seperate quota.
Cabezon have an excellent survival rate when released, unlike rockfish, cabezon do not have swim bladders and therefore do not suffer from barotrauma (expansion or rupture of the swim bladder when the fish are brought up from deep waters) that can cause stress, injury, and sometimes death in rockfish.