[12] The California moray is thought to be primarily piscivorous, and appears to specialize in the kelp bass, Paralabrax clathratus.

[13] However, they are opportunistic predators whose diet also consists of invertebrate prey such as octopuses, lobsters, other California morays, and red rock shrimp.

However, when consuming a cephalopod, the California moray spends a greater proportion of time on transportation than feeding.

At least one study has proposed that this species is non-reproductive in the most northern parts of its range due to the water temperature being too cold for gonadal development.

[22] A study used otoliths (ear bones) of California morays from Catalina Island to estimate individuals' ages, which cross-referenced with data from the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and revealed that the majority of individuals examined likely only arrived on Catalina Island due to an El Niño Southern Oscillation event.

[26] The California moray is not commercially fished, but the species does face threats from pollution and habitat degradation.

A recent study has connected the conservation efforts in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to ecological impacts on California moray populations.

However, too great of an abundance was also connected to higher frequencies of cannibalism, the presence of disease, and lower growth rates.