News Archive

Last week the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) continued its decision on the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan to its August meeting to allow more time for public and stakeholder review of recent revisions to the draft plan. The June 11-12 meeting of the Commission also brought Butte County Deputy District Attorney Michael Tufaro to Sacramento to be recognized as 2024 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has lifted the commercial and recreational take restrictions for human consumption of Pacific sardine in the Southern California Bight. This action comes after receiving recommendations (commercial and recreational) from state health agencies that Pacific sardine no longer pose a human health risk caused by domoic acid.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced a season closure in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (CA/OR border to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line, 38°46.125’ N latitude) to further reduce the risk of entanglement in crab fishing gear.

On Friday, May 16, 2025, the National Marine Fisheries Service published the annual West Coast salmon fishing regulations for federal waters, including those for California’s limited ocean recreational salmon season.

While low Chinook salmon counts have called for the continued closure of Chinook salmon fishing in the Klamath River Basin and mainstem Sacramento River, Chinook fishing opportunities will be allowed in three inland Central Valley rivers for the first time in two years.