And still we get obscure comment from those who disaprove of collecting from the wild.
I am always amazed at the ability of people to lie about things they do not approve of morally. The topic of personal collection is almost a non-issue legally and yet the constant insinuation is that it is some form of secret crime with severe punishments and fines associated with it.
A little more from the california side of things. (coldwater organinsms from the Pacific)
All of this is pulled straight from the California state fishing regs for the current year. (Note that there are a confusing amount of protected areas with the new MPLA activities that have started in the last year, so always check with a reliable source to make sure you are not collecting in a protected area).
Commercial rules are very different. This is only for personal collecting
28.91. Slurp Guns. Slurp guns may be used to take finfish except that bag and possession limits
shall not be exceeded wherever they apply and no species of finfish may be taken for which a
minimum size limit has been established (see Sections 27.60 and 28.00-28.55
Invertebrates
29.05. General.
(a) Except as provided in this article there are no closed seasons, closed hours or minimum
size limits for any invertebrate. The bag limit on all invertebrates for which the take is authorized
and for which there is not a bag limit otherwise established in this article is 35. In San Francisco
and San Pablo bays and saltwater tributaries east of the Golden Gate Bridge invertebrates may
not be taken at night except from the shore.
(b) Take of all invertebrates is prohibited within state marine reserves. Take of certain invertebrates
may be prohibited within state marine parks and state marine conservation areas as per subsection
632(b). In addition, tidal invertebrates may not be taken in any tidepool or other areas
between the high tide mark (defined as Mean Higher High Tide) and 1,000 feet seaward and
lateral to the low tide mark (defined as Mean Lower Low Water) except as follows:
(1) Except where prohibited within state marine reserves, state marine parks, state marine
conservation areas, or other special closures only the following may be taken: red abalone, limpets,
moon snails, turban snails, chiones, clams, cockles, mussels, rock scallops, native oysters,
octopuses, squid, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, sand dollars, sea urchins and worms except that no
worms may be taken in any mussel bed, unless taken incidental to the harvesting of mussels.
(c) Measuring Devices. Every person while taking invertebrates which have a size limit shall
carry a device which is capable of accurately measuring the minimum legal size of the species
taken.
(d) In all ocean waters skin and Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) divers
may take invertebrates as provided in this article except that in all ocean waters north of Yankee
Point (Monterey Co.), SCUBA may be used only to take sea urchins, rock scallops and crabs of
the genus Cancer. For the purpose of this section, breathing tubes (snorkels) are not SCUBA.
and they lost everything 
