Sheep Crab molt

@Elytra and Antenna Can't get these as pets, as far as I'm aware. This one is wild caught, and is part of our live collection at my university. Collected in a trawl net under a scientific collecting permit. However, you can collect these for consumption with a California recreational fishing license. But that still prohibits you from keeping them alive as pets. Which is a bummer, because I love this little guy. It would definitely make a fun pet to own, if it were legal.

California law (California Fish and Game 2017: 8597) says you must have a valid marine aquaria collector's permit to collect that species for aquaria. There is no law against keeping them but if you caught one for someone and you didn't have a valid marine aquaria collector's permit that would be illegal. I imagine there aren't a lot of people with that permit.

@Elytra and Antenna You definitely wouldn't find many hobbyists with a permit like that. Perhaps someone with a business might. A little rare in temperate areas, as the big money is in tropical aquaria. All the wildlife in our local waters is very cryptic and more difficult to keep because of the cold water requirements (cheaper to heat water than to chill it).

Even if the law doesn't prohibit having them as pets, a warden could easily make the claim that keeping one alive is evidence of intent to sell, which requires a commercial permit. I'd be cautious about keeping any California native species in a private aquarium for that reason, particularly those with a commercial value. I've seen people get cited for keeping lobsters alive at home.