Cowcod Conservation Areas - R7 - CDFW [ds3165]

In 2001, access to the continental shelf in the Southern California Bight was restricted by the implementation of the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) that prohibit most bottom fishing. The closed area includes a 4,200 square mile area (Area 1, or Western CCA) off the Palos Verdes Peninsula extending southwards about 90 miles and westward another 50 miles.

A smaller area, the "43-fathom spot" (Area 2, or Eastern CCA), which lies 40 miles offshore of San Diego and extends northward and offshore to cover 100 square miles, was also designated a part of the closure area. Starting in 2024, CCA restrictions no longer apply to non-trawl commercial and recreational vessels fishing for groundfish. Attributes Area: ID for each CCA.