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

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. Continue reading “Lobster Report Cards Due Soon – Your Data Informs Lobster Fishery Management”

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

Happy angler with lingcod
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: Continue reading “Recreational Groundfish Season Opens in All State Waters on April 19, 2024”

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

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 Continue reading “Partial Area Closure for Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery, Recreational Dungeness Crab Trap Restriction Set for April 8”

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

grunion on the beach
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). Continue reading “Griddy in the Moonlight: 2024 Schedule of Expected California Grunion Runs Now Available”

Annual Salmon Information Meeting to Take Place via Webinar on March 1 

commercial salmon troller
Commercial salmon troller. CDFW photo

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) invites the public to attend a virtual Salmon Information Meeting on Friday, March 1, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. State and federal fishery scientists will present information on topics such as last year’s spawning escapement, estimates of forecasted ocean abundance, Continue reading “Annual Salmon Information Meeting to Take Place via Webinar on March 1 “