News Room

Two California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) trout hatcheries in the Eastern Sierra are continuing to fight an outbreak of Lactococcus petauri, a naturally occurring bacteria that sickens fish. The current outbreak was first detected in April 2022.

Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney (SDDA) Karen Wold has been named 2021 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Fish and Game Commission announced this week.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is nearing the completion of its efforts to transport 19.7 million hatchery-raised fall-run and 960,000 spring-run juvenile Chinook salmon (known as smolts) to the San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay and seaside net pens this spring and summer.

At its June meeting the California Fish and Game Commission acted on several issues affecting California’s natural resources. The following are just a few items of interest from this week’s meeting held in Los Angeles, Saint Helena and Trinidad, with an option for the public to join via Zoom.

The ninth annual California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) runs from Saturday, June 4 through Sunday, June 12, 2022. Sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), this week provides an opportunity for Californians to learn about the hundreds of harmful non-native plants and animals that threaten our state’s natural resources, ecology and economy.

California’s recreational ocean salmon season is underway, and so is the CDFW ocean salmon monitoring program. Anglers are encouraged to assist CDFW employees or agents who ask about their trip or request to examine the catch, as the information collected is essential to the science needed to support continued ocean salmon fishing opportunities in future years.

CDFW responded to a report of a mountain lion attack in Trinity County on May 16, 2022. The incident occurred approximately 3:00 p.m. along State Route 299 near Big Bar.

Earlier this year, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted regulatory changes to increase the length of the seasonal closure and create a bag and possession limit for grunion, an iconic species found in California and Baja California.

CDFW is seeking public comment on a proposal to uplist the Mojave Desert Tortoise from threatened to endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

California hunters can now purchase hunting licenses for the 2022-23 season, as well as apply for the Big Game Drawing online. Californians have many options to bring home wild game for their dinner table, and at this time, the current COVID-19 pandemic is not expected to lead to the closure or delay of any hunting seasons.