Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area

Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) lies deep within scenic, half moon-shaped Monterey Bay, where dark mysteries lure scientists and anglers alike.

Discussing the Future of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is inviting interested members of the public to a discussion of the evaluation results and the future of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP).

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area and Blue Cavern Offshore State Marine Conservation Area

Just twenty miles off the coast of Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island is home to about 4,000 people and nine marine protected areas (MPAs), including Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) and Blue Cavern Offshore SMCA.

Marine Region’s 2017 Year in Review Now Available!

Which grows faster – male or female kelp bass? What did California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Marine Region divers find last year during northern California red abalone surveys? Were any new state saltwater sport fishing records set in 2017? The answers to these questions and more can be found in the Marine Region 2017 Year in Review, now available on the CDFW Marine Region website!

The 22-page Review summarizes Marine Region activities in 2017, from abalone surveys to warty sea cucumber research. Of particular interest in 2017 were milestones in marine

Recreational and Commercial Fishing Regulations Available for Download

Did you know that you can download state fishing regulations to your smartphone or other device? Using iBooks on Apple devices or your favorite book reader on the Android platform, you can download the regulations booklets for reference at any time.

As noted in the 2018-2019 Saltwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet, recreational fishermen will want to take note of a few changes in fishing regulations this season.

Most notably, the recreational red abalone fishery is closed for 2018, and likely longer. To learn more about the reasons behind the unprecedented closure, see “Perfect Storm” Decimates Northern California Kelp Forests, written by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists and published on the Marine Management News blogsite.