Media Contact Contact an Information Officer Related News Feeds California Outdoors Q&A OSPR News Marine Region News Subscribe Subscribe to CDFW News releases via email or text.* Sign Up *Accredited media representatives should contact an Information Officer to be placed on CDFW's media list. Follow Us Follow on Twitter @CaliforniaDFW(opens in new tab) Follow on Facebook(opens in new tab) Recent News Releases Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open in Portions of Northern California, One Area Further Delayed Due to Public Health Hazard January 8, 2026 After delays due to entanglement risk, crab meat quality issues, and elevated levels of domoic acid, the commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open in portions of northern California on Jan. 15 under a 15% gear reduction. The commercial fishery will open in the following areas at 12:01 a.m., Jan. 15 preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period beginning at 8:01 a.m. on Jan. 12. January 2026 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Calendar December 31, 2025 The January 2026 CDFW calendar of events is now available. Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open in Last Closed Area of Humboldt County After Delay Due to Public Health Risks December 30, 2025 The last area of the recreational Dungeness crab fishery in Humboldt County opened today after being delayed due to elevated levels of domoic acid. CDFW to Conduct Helicopter Capture and Collaring Efforts for Deer, Elk and Gray Wolves in Northern California December 29, 2025 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is initiating efforts in northern California to capture deer, elk and wolves by helicopter and outfit the animals with GPS collars. Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open Jan. 5 in Central California; Recreational Crab Trap Restrictions Lifting Jan. 2 December 19, 2025 CDFW will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the Central Management Area (Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Point Conception beginning Jan. 5, 2026. Naturally Reproduced Coho Salmon Found in Russian River’s Upper Basin for the First Time in Decades December 18, 2025 Snorkeling in an isolated pool on Ackerman Creek north of Ukiah in June, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Water Resources Specialist Dakota Perez Gonzalez discovered young Coho salmon. These fish, as well as juvenile steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, were disconnected from surface water flow and other suitable habitat and likely to perish when the pool eventually dried up. California Fish and Game Commission Extends Red Abalone Recreational Fishery Closure, Finds CESA Listing of Bear Lake Buckwheat Warranted December 18, 2025 In a move to protect red abalone populations that have suffered drastic population decline, the California Fish and Game Commission at its Dec. 10-11 meeting extended the red abalone recreational fishery closure 10 years. The Commission also approved listing Bear Lake buckwheat as an endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act and received the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s status review report for mountain lion in the central coast and southern parts of California. Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Opens in Del Norte, Mendocino and Parts of Humboldt Counties After Delay Due to Public Health Risks December 12, 2025 After a delay to the season opener due to elevated levels of domoic acid, the recreational Dungeness crab fishery opened today in Del Norte and Mendocino counties and part of Humboldt County, though trap restrictions remain in place due to elevated entanglement risk. Cannabis crackdown: State officials seize 58,350 illegal cannabis plants worth $57 million in November December 10, 2025 As California continues to crack down on the illicit cannabis market, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced three major enforcement operations conducted in November that yielded major results, including eradicating 58,358 plants and seizing about three tons of processed cannabis worth an estimated $56.5 million. December 2025 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Calendar November 26, 2025 The December CDFW calendar of events is now available. Browse/Search Archive