Fishing Closures go Into Effect

The new year has brought Southern California’s newly established marine protected areas, which went into effect Sunday.

Now it's up to anglers to know where they can and cannot fish.

The Department of Fish and Game, in a news release last week, said wardens will be on the water and "will take appropriate enforcement actions, which could include education, warning, citation or arrest, depending on the violation."

Maps of the new areas are available to view online. Information about the closed and restricted areas can also be viewed on iPhones, iPads and Android devices by visiting the MPA mobile website.

With the mobile app you can look up marine parks, reserves and conservation areas by name, or find these areas by county. You also can look up maps and regulations, and even track your location using GPS to see if you've crossed an MPA boundary.

Anglers should take this all very seriously as the state will not be amused if you don’t know the rules.

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