News Archive

CDFW invites nonprofit organizations to help fundraise for wildlife conservation and research by auctioning big game hunting license tags for the 2024-25 hunt season.

The California spiny lobster fishery is set to open Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. for recreational diving and hoop netting, followed by the commercial fishery on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The recreational opener is 12 hours earlier than past seasons this year, providing an extra night of recreational fishing opportunity.

CDFW was informed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) that divers monitoring for aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe detected invasive New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in areas off the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. New Zealand mudsnail samples were subsequently positively identified by experts within CDFW and an outside genetics lab. This is the first time the species has been detected in Lake Tahoe.

CDFW will reopen the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area in Siskiyou County to limited waterfowl hunting this season after a complete closure the past two seasons. Although many parts of California received record rainfall and snowpack during the winter and spring of 2022-23, northeastern California remained comparatively dry. As a result, only dry field hunting will be allowed for waterfowl hunting this season at the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), joined by state, federal and non-governmental organization partners, has intensified its response to help birds affected by avian botulism at Tulare Lake, contracting with the expert Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) to provide emergency veterinary care. Avian botulism is caused by a toxin-producing bacteria that occurs naturally in bodies of water like Tulare Lake.