Harpoons and Flying Gaffs for Recreational Tuna Fishery and Gear Marking in Commercial Harpoon Swordfish Fishery

The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) proposes to use regular rulemaking authority to amend the recreational fishing regulations for tuna, marlin, and swordfish and the commercial fishing regulations for swordfish as set forth in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (Project). The amendments will allow recreational anglers to use harpoons and flying gaffs to help land tuna that have been legally taken. The amendment will also make a variety of minor, nonsubstantive, changes to update the species common name from “broadbill” or “broadbill swordfish” to “swordfish,” and “fin fish” to “finfish” and to clarify existing prohibitions on the use of spears and bow and arrow fishing gear to take marlin. The amendment will add gear marking requirements for commercial harpoon gear to clearly differentiate that gear from federally authorized deep-set buoy gear.