News Archive

The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) has approved the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan, a living document that aims to conserve western Joshua trees pressured by habitat loss and a warming climate. Other matters acted on by the Commission at its Aug. 13-14 meeting include designating Quino checkerspot butterfly as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), and adopting emergency regulations to reopen recreational rockfish, cabezon, greenling and lingcod fisheries north of Point Conception.

The California Fish and Game Commission adopted emergency changes to the state’s groundfish regulations so that recreational ocean fisheries are no longer constrained by quillback rockfish.

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.

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.

Last week, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) increased the northern pintail bag limit to three for the first time in almost 30 years. While population estimates are sufficient to support more pintail hunting opportunities, depleted population estimates for the recreational barred sand bass fishery called for the Commission to reduce a five-fish bag limit to four. The Commission took these and other actions affecting California’s natural resources at its April 16-17 meeting in Sacramento.