Rockfish, Salmon, and More: The Most Popular Marine Management News Blog Posts of 2019

The Lingcod daily bag and possession limit changed in 2019. CDFW photo by M. Parker

King salmon caught off San Francisco. CDFW photo

Measuring the alternate length of a California Sheephead. photo by Gary C. Graham

Dungeness crab. CDFW image

Chinook salmon head removed for lab processing. CDFW photo

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has shared important developments in ocean resource management through the Marine Management News, CDFW’s Marine Region blog, since the turn of the century. The top five blog posts for 2019, listed below, reflect some of the topics

Beyond Cannery Row: The Monterey Marine Protected Area Collaborative

Monterey MPA Collaborative members prepare to test their Trident underwater drone at Whaler’s Cove, Point Lobos
photo by C. Allison

Monterey has built its reputation on abundant marine resources and scenic bay waters. Visitors flock to see the sea otters, visit the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, and stroll along Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.

Creature Feature: Halfmoon

Halfmoon are primarily a Southern California fish, although they have been found as far north as the Klamath River in northern California.

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Submarine Canyon Habitats

Mushroom soft coral and Splitnose Rockfish in Mattole Canyon SMR. CDFW/MARE photo

Spot prawns at Portuguese Ledge SMCA. CDFW/MARE photo

Longnose Skate in Big Creek SMCA. CDFW/MARE photo

Purple gorgonian at Point Dume SMR. CDFW/MARE photo

Feather stars in Soquel Canyon SMCA. CDFW/MARE photo

Deep and mysterious waters lie just off California’s coast, sometimes within a stone’s throw of the beach. A millennium of tectonic forces, and more recent geologic forces like ice ages and erosion have brought these present-day deep ocean habitats, called submarine canyons, to our coastal doorstep. Exotic ocean life and biological diversity abound in these deep canyons.

Rare 7-year-old Chinook Salmon Caught in California Ocean Salmon Fishery

Large Chinook salmon sampled at Moss Landing, California in 2019 (not the 7-year-old salmon).
CDFW photo

In July of this year, a commercial salmon troller caught a 7-year-old Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Bodega Bay that measured 36 inches long.