Weekend Commercial Take of Market Squid Prohibited South of Pt. The closure extends an existing prohibition for the same time period north from Point Conception to the California-Oregon border. The regulation affects vessels catching squid and vessels using lights to attract squid.
Vessels supplying the recreational fishery with live-bait are exempt.
Market squid has been harvested in California for more than 100 years. Prior to 1960 the fishery was centered in Monterey Bay but since then it has been concentrated in Southern California. Landings increased dramatically during the 1990's peaking at over 240 million pounds during the 1996-97 season. During the 1990's, market squid was consistently one of the top five species in landings and value in California. Market squid is a short-lived species, living 9 months to 1 year, then it spawns and dies.