Commercial Fishery Line Marking Prohibition

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is implementing a regulatory action to prohibit all state-managed commercial fisheries from using fishing line marking patterns that have already been assigned to other commercial fisheries along the U.S. West Coast. This measure, to be codified as Section 181 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, aims to prevent misidentification of entanglement sources involving protected marine species such as humpback whales, blue whales, and Pacific leatherback turtles. By ensuring unique and traceable line markings across regional fisheries, the regulation supports coordinated efforts to reduce marine mammal and sea turtle entanglements and improves the accuracy of incident investigations. The action is justified under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) through categorical exemptions 15307 and 15308, which apply to minor regulatory changes that protect natural resources and streamline information collection without significant environmental impact. No formal procurement process, contract value, or competitive evaluation criteria are involved, as this is a regulatory rulemaking rather than a procurement action. The sole point of contact for the project is Anthony Shiao, Environmental Scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Division in Sacramento, overseeing the implementation and compliance monitoring in California’s state ocean waters. No payment, invoicing, accounting, or contractor-specific data such as UEI, CAGE codes, or COR/COTR designations are applicable, as the state agency itself is enforcing the regulation directly. The requirement for a Notice of Exemption has been fulfilled, confirming CEQA compliance, but no additional federal contractual or administrative requirements are triggered.