News Archive

Significant changes to California’s groundfish sport fishing regulations are expected starting next year, in response to recent scientific information suggesting some nearshore groundfish species are in decline. To reduce pressure on these stocks, fishing seasons will be shorter in nearshore waters, but new opportunities in deeper water are anticipated.

CDFW has initiated a status review for Southern California steelhead and invites data or comments on a petition to list Southern California steelhead as an endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

The Winnemem Wintu Tribe, CDFW, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) celebrated the return of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon eggs to the McCloud River upstream of Shasta Reservoir for the first time since the construction of the Shasta Dam in the 1940s.

Sport fishing for Chinook salmon in the Klamath River Basin is set to begin July 1 and will continue through the fall according to salmon quota and fishery regulations that were adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission during its May teleconference meeting.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the closure of the Ocean Ranch Unit within the Eel River Wildlife Area as habitat restoration work intensifies there with the use of heavy equipment. The unit is being closed to all public access for safety effective Monday, July 11, 2022, through the end of the year.