Limited Recreational Ocean Salmon Seasons Finalized for 2018

A nice Chinook salmon caught outside Bodega Bay
CDFW photo

As expected, ocean salmon anglers will have fewer opportunities this year to wet a line for their favorite fish out of most California ports.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) took action this week to finalize recreational salmon fishing season dates for ocean waters off California for the remainder of the year. In response to the new “overfished” status of Sacramento River Fall Chinook, recreational fishing seasons in ocean waters will be cut by 40 percent in some regions, compared to unrestricted seasons.

Substantial cuts were made to ocean salmon fishing opportunity in all management areas, though some areas have longer seasons than others. Sport fisheries between the Oregon/California border and Horse Mountain will only be open from the beginning of June until early September. The longest seasons will be for fisheries from Horse Mountain to Pigeon Point (Fort Bragg and San Francisco

Creature Feature: California Grunion

The California grunion is usually found south of Morro Bay, but they have been taken on occasion as far north as San Francisco Bay. Most often they school a short distance from shore in 15 to 40 ft. of water.

New Electronic Systems Provide More Timely and Accessible Fishery Data, Enhance Enforcement Capabilities

Commercial passenger fishing vessel operators will now be able to submit their fishing data electronically
CDFW photo by D. Hamilton

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to share the tremendous progress made on three projects that aim to improve the rate and quality of data collection for commercial ocean fishing and law

Great Photo Needed for Next Year’s Saltwater Sport Fishing Regulation Booklet!

Saltwater fishing is an amazing experience that is often hard to explain in words. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife invites you to celebrate and share your fishing experience by sending us your best saltwater fishing photos for consideration as the cover photo on the 2018-2019 Saltwater Sport Fishing regulations booklet!

Saltwater fish and shellfish photos must be taken in California, and may feature any saltwater fish or shellfish that is legal to catch in California.  The fish or shellfish must be in a natural setting (not on the barbeque, for example) and properly tagged (if required). Submissions will be accepted through December 15, 2017.

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