News Archive

The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) has adopted regulations to reopen sport fishing for white sturgeon on a catch-and-release basis while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) conducts a status review to determine if listing the species as “threatened” under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) is warranted.

The California Fish and Game Commission approved white sturgeon as a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act on June 19. The Commission found sufficient scientific evidence in a petition to determine that listing may be warranted.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has produced three options for ocean salmon seasons beginning May 16, 2024. Two of the three alternatives would authorize short ocean salmon season dates and establish small harvest limits for commercial and sport fishing off California in 2024. The third alternative would close the ocean fisheries off California for a second consecutive year.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border (Central Management Area: Fishing Zones 3-6) under a 50 percent trap reduction beginning Jan. 18, 2024, at 12:01 a.m. with a 64-hour pre-soak to begin on Jan. 15, 2024, at 8 a.m.

Today, on recommendation from California and Oregon agency representatives and industry advisors, the National Marine Fisheries Service took inseason action to cancel ocean salmon fishery openers that were scheduled between Cape Falcon, Ore., and the U.S./Mexico border through May 15.