Lobster Report Cards Due Soon – Your Data Informs Lobster Fishery Management

During the day, spiny lobsters bide their time in dens, often accompanied by other creatures, such as eels, urchins, or fellow lobsters. CDFW photo by D. Stein

Spiny lobster surrounded by brittle stars and a red sea urchin. CDFW/MARE photo

Did you dive or hoop net for spiny lobster last season? How many lobsters did you catch?

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds lobster report card holders that report cards are due by April 30, 2024. The lobster report card is the official way for you to report your lobster fishing activity and is required to be submitted even if you didn’t fish for lobster, or didn’t catch any legal-sized keepers. Reporting zero lobsters caught on your report card is just as important as reporting successful trips.

Recreational Groundfish Season Opens in All State Waters on April 19, 2024

Happy California angler with a nice lingcod
photo courtesy E. W. Roberts III

On March 26, 2024, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted proposed changes to the 2024 groundfish season. Those changes are now in effect. The following is an overview of changes in the 2024 groundfish sport fishing regulations:

Partial Area Closure for Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery, Recreational Dungeness Crab Trap Restriction Set for April 8

Dungeness crab. shutterstock photo

Live Dungeness crab in a seawater-filled container, with crab pots stacked on the back deck. CDFW photo by C. Juhasz

Dungeness crab in a vessel sorting box. CDFW photo by C. Juhasz

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is closing the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6). Commercial crabbing in the Northern Management Area

Get Hooked on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Website!

CDFW Marine Region home page

For the latest information on fishing regulations and news affecting California’s ocean resources, your first stop should be the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW’s) Marine Region. This comprehensive information source includes hundreds of ocean-related web pages and documents readily available to the public.

If you are new to this website, we invite you to explore the valuable resources we have created. For those who have already visited the site, be sure to check back regularly, since new features

Griddy in the Moonlight: 2024 Schedule of Expected California Grunion Runs Now Available

As waves recede, grunion stay on the wet sand to reproduce. photo by heather, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Grunion runs are one of California’s most spectacular natural phenomena. If you explained what happens during a grunion run to people who live outside of Southern California, they might think you’re joking. Thousands of fish ride the waves ashore, to lay eggs on the beach in the middle of the night? Sounds like a tall tale! But it’s undeniably true. By accurately charting the moon and tidal cycles, you can figure out when this natural phenomenon occurs and witness it for yourself (or you can use our handy grunion run prediction table instead).