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.

2016 Marine Region Year in Review and 2016 Marine Region By the Numbers Now Available!

We are pleased to announce that the 2016 Marine Region Year in Review and 2016 Marine Region – By the Numbers documents are now available for your reading pleasure. These documents highlight the

Continuing the MLMA Master Plan Amendment Discussion Series

Since December 2016, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has hosted three discussions  to share information with stakeholders about the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA) Master Plan amendment process. CDFW is seeking input and guidance on ideas, approaches, and tools to consider as part of an amended MLMA Master Plan and Draft Amended Framework for MLMA-Based Management.

California Commercial Fishing Digest Now Available Online

The 2017 California Commercial Fishing Digest is now available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website. The digest contains information about commercial fishing licenses and regulations. It also includes maps of fishing districts, conservation areas, marine protected areas, and more.

Commercial fishermen will be especially interested in the What’s New for 2017 section of the digest, which includes summaries of new commercial fishing regulations and other information.

Continuing the MLMA Master Plan Amendment Discussion Series

In December 2016 and February 2017, CDFW hosted two public conference calls to provide stakeholders with a general introduction to the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA), and to discuss a draft approach to scaling management efforts and storing fisheries data on a web-based portal. These two public conference calls were the first in a series of discussions that have been planned to help inform and guide key components of the MLMA Master Plan amendment process.

Stakeholders are invited to participate in the next discussion in this series, which will take place as an agenda item during the Fish and Game Commission’s upcoming Marine Resources Committee meeting.