News Archive

The CDFW April Calendar of Events is now available.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been investigating increased reports of debilitated and dead seabirds on California beaches. Of the birds examined, nearly all have been younger birds that are emaciated, sometimes with opportunistic fungal respiratory infection and/or heavy parasitism, or with secondary injuries.

The 2026 recreational Pacific halibut fishery will open Wednesday, April 1 and remain open until the season ends Nov. 15 north of Point Arena (38°57.5 N. Latitude) and Dec. 31 south of Point Arena, or until the quota is reached, whichever occurs first.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Los Angeles Zoo, has intervened on an orphaned mountain lion kitten in Southern California following a coordinated, science-based monitoring effort.

A Stockton man will serve prison time following his conviction stemming from an illegal petroleum dumping case in which approximately 280 gallons of oil product was dumped into a waterway near the Smith Canal in Stockton.

Spring is in the air at Lake Tahoe, and black bears are emerging from their winter dens. This includes mother bears with new cubs of the year that are only about 8 to 10 weeks old.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Central Region, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will hold an in-person outreach meeting to share information regarding the hunting programs in the northern San Joaquin Valley.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention & Response has settled violations stemming from a January 2021 incident in which the anchors of two vessels impacted an offshore oil pipeline, which later ruptured and discharged nearly 25,000 gallons of crude oil that impacted Orange County beaches.

CDFW Director Meghan Hertel has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program and announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries in Fishing Zones 4 and 5.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has started a process to evaluate California’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program (WLCP). On Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, CDFW held a workshop with a group of stakeholder representatives focused on how best to assess the program to inform potential adjustments to future applications and funding opportunities.