California Recreational Groundfish and Lingcod Fishing Regulation Changes for 2019

Beginning in 2019, the Lingcod daily bag and possession limit is one fish.
CDFW photo by M. Parker

On December 12, 2018 the California Fish and Game Commission took action to modify regulations for groundfish fishing. The changes went into effect January 2, 2019.

While many of the changes are good news and reflect improvements in the status of several species, not all changes resulted in increased opportunities for the recreational groundfish fishery. For California Groundfish Management Areas south of 40°10’ N latitude (near Cape Mendocino in northern California) 

Don’t Eat That Razor Clam!

Razor clam
CDFW photo by J. Ray

The sport razor clam fishery closed more than two years ago in Humboldt and Del Norte counties due to harmful levels of a naturally occurring marine biotoxin, domoic acid. The state Department of Public Health (CDPH) has documented varying levels of toxin in the clams since the closure, but levels have not fallen low enough to reopen the sport season.

In fact, recently skyrocketing levels of domoic acid in northern California razor clams have renewed concerns among

Domoic Acid and the Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery: A brief history of monitoring and current recreational fishery information

Freshly cooked Dungeness Crab
photo by E.W. Roberts III

The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH’s) biotoxin monitoring program began in 1927 in response to a massive poisoning event that occurred after people ate mussels containing high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin. Several deaths and over 100 illnesses were attributed to the event, according to CDPH.

Domoic acid, which causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, is another potentially deadly and naturally occurring toxin that may be produced after a “bloom” of a single-celled plant called Pseudo-nitzschia. Blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia do not always produce domoic acid, and there is currently no reliable way to predict where or when a bloom will produce the toxin.

Pacific Herring Fishery Management Plan Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meeting for the Environmental Impacts Document

CDFW photo

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Fish and Game Commission are preparing a Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Fishery Management Plan. CDFW, assisting the Commission under its certified regulatory program, has prepared an initial study, detailed project description, and a preliminary analysis of the environmental impacts pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.

CDFW is inviting interested members of the public to attend a scoping meeting on August 25, 2018 at the Bay Model Visitor’s Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The meeting is being held to solicit comments on the environmental impacts of the proposed project and answer questions related to plan development.

The public comment period for this project is from August 17, 2018 through September 21, 2018. Comments may also be submitted by email to CDFW Environmental Scientist Ryan Bartling or by letter to:

Snapshot: Saltwater State Record Catches for 2017

Jeffrey Yuan and his state angling record Calico Surfperch – CDFW file photo

Daniel Silveira and his state diving record Bocaccio – CDFW file photo

Yu Fukushima and his state diving record Shortfin Mako Shark – CDFW file photo

In 2017, four saltwater anglers and three spear fishermen became new state record holders after hauling in some exceptional fish.