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.

Help CDFW Manage the Recreational Spiny Lobster Fishery – Return Report Cards On Time

California spiny lobster
CDFW photo by D. Stein

Divers and hoopnetters are reminded that the deadline for returning 2017-2018 Spiny Lobster Report Cards is approaching. Report card holders must submit report card information online or return their cards to the address printed on the card by April 30, 2018. Information collected from the cards provides the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) with data necessary to monitor and manage California’s spiny lobster fishery.

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

2018 Grunion Run Schedule Now Available

Grunion spawning on a sandy beach
CDFW photo

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has published its annual schedule of predicted grunion runs in 2018. Intrepid nature lovers and grunion hunters can use the schedule to stake out a beach late at night and perhaps catch a few fish, or just observe their unusual mating behavior.

Grunion, are small, slender fish with bluish-green backs and silvery bellies. These fish ‘strand’ themselves

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