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California · Rockfish, cabezon and greenling (RCG complex)

Can you keep a rockfish, cabezon and greenling (rcg complex) in California?

Yes, with limits

statewide (season and depth vary by one of five coastal management zones)

Open year-round
Size
No size limit stated
total length
Daily bag
10
per person per day, all species in the complex combined

No minimum size for any rockfish, cabezon or greenling. The shared 10-fish complex limit carries species-specific sub-caps: copper rockfish is capped at 1, vermilion/sunset rockfish at 4 in the Northern zone or 2 elsewhere, and canary rockfish at 2 — all counted inside the same 10, not on top of it. Four rockfish species may never be kept anywhere in California at any time: bronzespotted, cowcod, quillback and yelloweye rockfish.

CDFW source page

What we left out on purpose

Other species in California

Where to try today