Return your lobster report cards by April 30 following the season closure to:
Our online harvest reporting system
If you do not have readily available access to internet, you may also submit the report card to:
CDFW
Lobster Report Card
3883 Ruffin Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
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California’s coastal waters are home to a multitude of invertebrates (species lacking a bony skeleton). The California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) takes a particularly special place within this group as a highly sought-after target of both California’s recreational and commercial fisheries. Learn more about California spiny lobster biology, regulations, and fishing in the California Spiny Lobster: Fishing and Life History Information Brochure (PDF)(opens in new tab).
- Recreational lobster season opens at 6:00 a.m. on the Saturday preceding the first Wednesday in October and closes at 12:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday (night) after the 15th of March. **The season no longer starts at midnight for safety reasons** For current regulations, please visit the Current California Ocean Recreational Fishing Regulations for Point Conception to the U.S. – Mexico Border.
- Recreational Bag Limit: Seven lobsters per person.
- Minimum Legal Size Limit: Three and one-fourth inches, measured in a straight line on the midline of the back from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell (3 ΒΌ inch carapace). Please see the lobster measurement diagram (PDF)(opens in new tab) on how to measure your lobster.
- Permit Requirements: CDFW Spiny Lobster Report Card and California recreational fishing license, available at CDFW’s Online License Sales and Service. An Ocean Enhancement Validation is also required if fishing in ocean waters south of Point Arguello (Santa Barbara County).
- Skin and SCUBA Diver Gear Requirements: All skin and SCUBA divers must only use their hands to take lobster.
- Pier Fishing Gear Requirements: You may use up to 2 hoop nets while fishing from a public pier.
- Vessel Fishing Gear Requirements: You may possess up to 5 hoop nets while fishing from a vessel, but the total number of hoop nets from a vessel cannot exceed 10, even if there are more than 2 people on the boat
- Fishing Locations: See the CDFW Ocean Sport Fishing Interactive Web Map(opens in new tab).
| Season | # Cards Sold | # Cards Reported | Report Rate | # of Reported Cards that Did NOT Fish | Reported Catch (# of Lobsters) | Average # of Lobsters Kept per Card | Estimated Total # of Trips | Estimated Total Catch (# of Lobsters) | Estimated Weight (lbs) | Percent of Total Landings (Commercial + Recreational) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 36,414 | 19,698 | 54% | 4,265 | 114,562 | 7.5 | 111,552 | 215,295 | 344,472 | 26% |
| 2015-16 | 32,666 | 15,299 | 47% | 3,760 | 76,378 | 6.7 | 82,511 | 165,847 | 265,355 | 25% |
| 2016-17 | 30,762 | 15,442 | 50% | 3,733 | 84,065 | 7.3 | 80,680 | 169,428 | 271,085 | 29% |
| 2017-18 | 32,500 | 16,342 | 50% | 3,944 | 85,212 | 7.0 | 85,653 | 171,821 | 274,914 | 29% |
| 2018-19** | 32,758 | 16,958 | 52% | 4,003 | 98,127 | 7.7 | 72,122 | 154,929 | 247,886 | 22%** |
| 2019-20 | 34,804 | 17,563 | 50% | 4,222 | 106,742 | 8.1 | 77,940 | 170,171 | 272,274 | 26% |
| 2020-21 | 45,726 | 21,874 | 48% | 5,720 | 108,188 | 6.8 | 96,779 | 178,334 | 285,334 | 27% |
| 2021-2022 | 35,475 | 16,901 | 48% | 4,635 | 83,817 | 6.9 | 73,831 | 140,345 | 244,162 | 24% |
**Starting this season, a new method of estimating total recreational catch was employed based off a survey conducted in summer 2019. More details on this method can be found in the spiny lobster ESR and a full writeup can be downloaded (PDF)(opens in new tab).
2021-2022 Top 10 Locations (by percent of reported catch)
- Catalina island (16.3%)
- San Diego Bay (14.1%)
- Point Vicente up to King Harbor (6.0%)
- Santa Cruz Island (5.1%)
- Santa Monica up to Malibu Point (4.0%)
- Long Beach/Middle Breakwater (4.0%)
- Zuniga Jetty (2.9%)
- Mission Bay (2.8%)
- King Harbor up to Santa Monica (2.6%)
- Carlsbad to Oceanside (2.6%)
2021-2022 Catch by Gear Type (by percent of reported catch)
- Rigid Hoop Net (52.8%)
- SCUBA Diving (23.0%)
- Traditional Hoop Net (16.7%)
- Free Diving (15.0%)
2021-2022 Catch per Unit Effort by Gear Type (average number of lobsters per trip)
- SCUBA Diving (3.0 lobsters/trip)
- Rigid Hoop Net (2.0 lobsters/trip)
- Free Diving (1.9 lobsters/trip)
- Traditional Hoop Net (1.4 lobsters/trip)
CDFW Scientific Studies
- Spiny Lobster Stock Assessment (2011)
- A Comparison of Catch Rate Between a Traditional, Basket-Style Hoop Net and a Rigid, Conical-Style Hoop Net Used in the California Recreational Lobster Fishery (PDF)(opens in new tab)
California Fish and Game Quarterly, 94(4):53-61. 2008 - Sport Lobster Intercept Survey – 2007 (PDF)(opens in new tab)
Final report on the recreational lobster fishing survey conducted in Fall, 2007 - A Time Series of California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus) Phyllosoma From 1951 to 2008 Links Abundance to Warm Oceanographic Conditions in Southern California (PDF)
