News Room

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.

At its April 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 Monterey and Trinidad, with an option for the public to join via Zoom.

Two CDFW fish hatchery facilities in the eastern Sierra have recently detected an outbreak of Lactococcus petauri, a naturally occurring bacteria that sickens fish. CDFW fishery managers are working to implement strategies that will help the facilities get the disease under control, without cancelling all trout plants prior to the traditional season opener on April 30.

Wildlife officers have arrested eight men on suspicion of poaching white sturgeon from Sacramento Valley waterways, CDFW announced. The men face multiple charges, including intention to sell the fish and their products on the illegal market. At least two of the individuals are known repeat offenders. A ninth man was arrested on suspicion of selling Dungeness crab and red abalone on the illegal market.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announces California recreational ocean salmon fishing season dates are now set for the remainder of 2022 and offer about the same number of open days as last year.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is bringing back in-person instruction as an option for prospective hunters to take the required hunter education course.

CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced the closure of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border) effective at noon on April 8, 2022.