CDFW News

California Fish and Game Commission: No maximum size limit adopted for striped bass; CESA evaluation coming for one of state’s rarest plants

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:12:13 GMT

After years of discussion and consideration of public comment and scientific research, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) did not approve a proposed regulation amendment to set a maximum size limit for recreational striped bass fishing. This decision and regulatory action affecting California’s natural resources took place at the Commission’s October 8-9 meeting in Sacramento.

For recreational striped bass harvest, proposed regulatory amendments requested through an externally submitted petition would have kept the minimum size limit at 18-inches and set a maximum length limit at 30 inches for harvest of striped bass in anadromous waters. The petition’s stated goal was to protect larger, mature fish. The Commission voted 3-2 to not set a maximum size limit.

California Endangered Species Act (CESA) candidacy was granted for Gerry’s curly-leaved monardella and Pacific pocket mouse. Commissioners found sufficient scientific information to warrant possible CESA listings.

Gerry’s curly-leaved monardella is considered one of California’s rarest plants and the Pacific pocket mouse was once thought extinct. Each face threats such as habitat loss due to development. These species will now receive CESA protections while a status review is underway for potential CESA listing.

The Commission adopted regulations adding invasive non-native mussels, including golden mussel, pond mussel and axe-head mussel, and green crab to the list of live animals restricted from importation, transportation and possession.

As part of an emergency regulation, golden mussel was added to the list of restricted species in December 2024 after the discovery of golden mussel in California in October 2024. Golden mussel was first detected in the Port of Stockton and have since spread from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta into other California waterways that receive water from the Delta.

Golden mussel, pond mussel, axe-head mussel and green crab pose threats to ecosystems, water infrastructure and economies. These invasive mussels can clog water pipelines, colonize inside boat engines and alter food webs affecting native species. Green crab outcompetes native species for food and habitat, disrupting marine ecosystems and threatening native fisheries; they also prey on farmed bivalves.

Inductees to the 2025 California Waterfowlers Hall of Fame were recognized at this Commission meeting. Fritz Reid, Mike Passaglia and Rex Carr were honored as individuals who have made significant contributions to enhance and conserve waterfowl and their habitats in California.

The closure of commercial bull kelp harvest in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties was extended through January 2029. Initially a three-year restriction on commercial bull kelp harvest from Sonoma County to the Oregon border was adopted in February 2022 in response to multi-year declines in bull kelp populations. Bull kelp has shown only limited reestablishment, warranting an extension.

Meeting Participation and Next Meeting

Commission President Erika Zavaleta, Vice President Samantha Murray and commissioners Jacque Hostler-Carmesin, Eric Sklar and Darius Anderson were in attendance for both days of the October Commission meeting.

The complete agenda for the meeting, along with supporting information, is available on the Commission website. Archived video of past Commission meetings is available online. The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled for December 10-11 at the California Natural Resources Building, second floor, 715 P St., Sacramento. Participants are encouraged to attend in person, with options available for Zoom or phone; for the agenda and more information visit the Commission website.

The Commission authorized staff to notify the public of potential regulation changes related to:

Recreational take of groundfish (PDF) A discussion hearing is scheduled for December 10-11 and an adoption hearing Febuary 11-12 on proposed amendments to regulations regarding recreational take of rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod.

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Media Contacts: 
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Katie Talbot, CDFW Communications, (916) 204-1381

Improved Passage Lets Threatened Sturgeon, Salmon and Other Species Return to Spawn in Sacramento River

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:30:01 GMT

** A Multiagency News Release Issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Department of Water Resources, NOAA Fisheries and Yolo County **

Dozens of adult sturgeon and hundreds of other large fish including threatened Chinook salmon have moved safely from receding floodwaters within the Yolo Bypass back to the Sacramento River thanks to the coordinated operation of the Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage among the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), NOAA Fisheries and Yolo County.

Over one 48-hour period when the Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage was opened on April 28 and 29, the facility’s fish-counting sonar counted 55 sturgeon passing through the facility to the Sacramento River to migrate upstream and spawn. Sturgeon are large fish that often measure 6 to 7 feet long and certain species can live over a century. They must reach the river to spawn, which they do only every few years.

In another 24-hour window between May 3 and 4, seven more sturgeon passed through the facility. Hundreds of other large fish and Pacific lamprey were also counted moving back to the Sacramento River during the two operational windows in April and May.

Before the passage was modified and greatly expanded in 2018, biologists rescued trapped sturgeon and other fish species in the Yolo Bypass by hand. Stress from handling could cause the fish to stop their upstream migration and not spawn. Finding ways for fish to swim through on their own – as they can do now – is highly preferable for the fish and for the safety of biologists working in the flooded conditions.

Protected Sturgeon Benefited

Given the time of year, scientists believe many of those sturgeon passing through the Fremont Weir were federally threatened green sturgeon in addition to white sturgeon. The sonar images don’t provide enough clarity to distinguish one species of sturgeon from the other. The southern population of green sturgeon in California is believed to number only around 1,000 fish.

“Green sturgeon are a threatened species that are so long-lived and with such a small population that every fish is crucial in supporting their recovery, especially when they are of spawning age,” said Garwin Yip, Branch Chief for Water Operations in NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region.

White sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin system represent the southernmost spawning population of the species and support a popular recreational fishery.

“This is a huge success for these iconic fish species and for our agencies working together to support these species,” said Colin Purdy, Environmental Program Manager for CDFW’s North Central Region. “Those 62 total sturgeon could very well represent the majority of California’s spawning population for the season, so to get these fish to their spawning grounds is critical for recruitment and recovery.”

California’s sturgeon populations are particularly vulnerable after consecutive years of drought and due to an algal bloom that occurred in San Francisco Bay last summer that killed many sturgeon.

Passage Allows Sturgeon Spawning

Sturgeon are slow to mature. They spawn just once every two to four years. Like salmon and steelhead, they are anadromous, meaning they migrate up freshwater rivers to spawn. Sturgeon and other fish species enter the Yolo Bypass floodplain from the Sacramento River in high water years and can become stranded when the waters recede.

“Seeing so many fish utilize the Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage in such a short period of time shows the success that can happen when state, federal and local entities work in partnership to develop a plan to provide immediate relief to threatened and endangered fish species,” said Josh Martinez, DWR’s Restoration Ecology Unit Manager. “We’re especially grateful to Yolo County, which quickly communicated with surrounding communities that the adult fish passage would operate outside its normal winter season. This is a win for fish and the communities that depend on them.”

Oscar E. Villegas, Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, said, “We appreciate our state and federal partners’ early engagement on this effort and look forward to future collaboration in protecting and enhancing our mosaic landscape of agriculture and wetlands.”

Since 1965, a small fish ladder was in place in the northern end of the Yolo Bypass within Yolo County. That passage through the Fremont Weir back to the Sacramento River proved far too small and difficult for large fish to navigate. White sturgeon can exceed 12 feet in length.

In 2018, DWR and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation modified, modernized and greatly expanded the fish passage structure (Video) to accommodate sturgeon, adult salmon, large striped bass and other adult fish species. The upgraded structure includes a fish-counting sonar station, a large stream channel leading to and from the Sacramento River and a control gate that can be opened and closed remotely as needed to accommodate fish passage and water flows.

This is the second year the Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage has operated. Due to drought conditions, the facility was last operated in the winter of 2019.

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Media Contacts:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858
Sabrina Washington, DWR Communications, (916) 820-7664
Michael Milstein, NOAA Fisheries, (971) 313-1466
Sabrina Snyder, Yolo County, (916) 477-5188

CDFW Seeking Public Input on Proposed Slot Limit for Striped Bass

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:13:03 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is soliciting public input on a proposed regulation change that would restrict the harvest of striped bass to a “slot limit” between 20 and 30 inches for inland anadromous waters. Under the proposal, all striped bass caught below 20 inches in length and above 30 inches in length would have to be released.

The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association has submitted the regulation change proposal to the California Fish and Game Commission. The stated goal is to protect the species by increasing the minimum length to allow more fish to mature and successfully spawn prior to harvest and to protect the larger fish that tend to be the most prolific spawners and are becoming increasingly rare in the fishery.

If approved, the slot limit would apply to any striped bass caught by recreational anglers in all anadromous inland waters of the state, which includes coastal and Central Valley rivers and streams and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Carquinez Bridge near Vallejo. This proposal would not include inland reservoirs or lakes or ocean waters, which include the San Francisco and San Pablo bays up to the Carquinez Bridge.

Under existing regulations, anglers fishing for striped bass in anadromous waters are limited to two striped bass per day, each with a minimum size of 18 inches in total length. There is no maximum size limit. The daily limit of two fish would not change under the proposal.

CDFW scientists are currently evaluating the available angler survey and monitoring data to help determine how this proposed change may affect the striped bass fishery, including harvest opportunities and biological processes. CDFW is requesting input from the public on the interest and support of the proposed regulation change before making recommendations to the California Fish and Game Commission.

CDFW has developed a Striped Bass Angler Preference Survey to solicit input. Anglers can participate by following this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPJL6DR.

CDFW and the Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association will also host a public meeting on the proposed regulation change on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Those interested can attend and participate either in person or remotely (online or by phone).

The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. within CDFW’s Fisheries’ Branch headquarters, 1010 Riverside Parkway, West Sacramento, 95605, in the California Poppy Conference Room.

Participants can visit the following link to join the meeting online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81676220423. Those wishing to listen or participate by phone can do so by calling (866) 390-1828.

At the meeting, the public is invited to ask questions of both CDFW and the Nor Cal-Guides and Sportsmen’s Association. CDFW staff will provide updates on the current state of the striped bass fishery along with existing angler survey data. Those with additional questions can email CDFW at StripedBass@wildlife.ca.gov.

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Media Contacts:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858
Kirsten Macintyre, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714
Jonathan Nelson, CDFW Fisheries Branch, (916) 376-1641

Photo: CDFW photo of an employee holding a striped bass, by Devin Tafoya