cdfw – Fishermens News

CDFW Bans Retention of Quillback Rockfish

2Aug

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CDFW Bans Retention of Quillback Rockfish

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is banning retention of quillback rockfish in both recreational and commercial fisheries effective Aug. 7. CDFW officials said July 28 that the combined recreational and commercial take of quillback rockfish would exceed the harvest limits specified in federal regulation for 2023, and that in-season action must be taken to reduce the risk of overfishing. Under California state law when federal harvest limits are projected to be exceeded, CDFW has authority to make in-season changes including adjustments to bag and sub-bag limits. Quillback rockfish, which are found from Kodiak Island in Alaska to Southern California, can grow to up to 25 inches in length and 7.2 pounds, and can live for up to at least 95 years. It has a mild, sli...

Sections of California Dungeness Crab Fishery to Close on April 15

5Apr

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Sections of California Dungeness Crab Fishery to Close on April 15

California fisheries officials plan to close four zones of the state’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line to the U.S.-Mexico border at noon on April 15 to protect humpback whales. The closure, announced March 30 by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), impacts Zones 3, 4, 5, and 6. Zones 1 through 6 also remain under a fleet advisory for both the commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. CDFW officials said the recreational fishery remained open to crab traps north of Point Arguerllo, Santa Barbara County, but might be subject to a future trap restriction when humpback whales return to forage in the spring and summer. CDFW also reminded anglers to be prepared to quickly remove fishing gear from remaining open areas if ...

California Hatchery Boosts Fall Run Projection of Chinook Salmon to 9.5M Fish

21Dec

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California Hatchery Boosts Fall Run Projection of Chinook Salmon to 9.5M Fish

California’s Feather Run Fish Hatchery in Oroville is expected to increase production of fall-run Chinook salmon in 2023 to some 9.5 million fish to combat impacts of drought and a thiamine deficiency affecting natural spawning and in-river production. The plan, announced jointly this past week by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), marks the second consecutive year that the Feather River Fish Hatchery will exceed its typical production quota of six million fall-run Chinook salmon to help sustain the state’s commercial and recreational salmon fisheries. This past year, the hatchery raised and released eight million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts. The hatchery, owned by DWR and operated by CDFW, is seeking to produc...

California Fish and Wildlife Schedules Marine Life Entanglement Risk Assessment

21Dec

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California Fish and Wildlife Schedules Marine Life Entanglement Risk Assessment

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) plans to assess marine life entanglement risk for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery on or around Thursday, Dec. 22, using the Rick Assessment and Mitigation Program (RAMP). In addition, regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission provide the CDFW director with authority to apply management actions to the recreational crab fishery to minimize entanglement risk informed by RAMP. CDFW officials noted that the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group was to meet Tuesday, Dec. 20 to review available data and CDFW’s assessment and management proposals. The department was then to consider all data made available to CDFW prior to determining whether the management actions currently in place to delay the commer...

Calif. Delays Dungeness Crab Fishery South of Sonoma/Mendocino County Line

2Nov

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Calif. Delays Dungeness Crab Fishery South of Sonoma/Mendocino County Line

Commercial fishing for Dungeness crab south of California’s Sonoma-Mendocino county line has been delayed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) due to concerns over potential entanglement with high numbers of humpback whales in the area. The commercial fishery had been scheduled to open on Nov. 15 in fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6. CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham said this week that based on recent surveys large aggregations of humpback whales are continuing to forage in coastal waters of California and allowing use of crab traps would raise the risk of an entanglement. Bonham said his agency will continue to work with both recreational and commercial Dungeness crab fisheries to protect whales and sea turtles while striving to maximize fishing opportunity. Bonham said...

California Agencies Partner to Support Salmon in Drought Conditions

11May

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California Agencies Partner to Support Salmon in Drought Conditions

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say that the drought having a significant impact on the state’s water supply is also putting the state’s salmon at serious risk. To that end, California’s Water Resources and Fish and Wildlife departments are collaborating through shared projects, funding and research efforts to identify challenges facing salmon and to promote salmon health and survival. These projects include restoring critical habitat for salmon and other fish species, improving salmon migration corridors to and from the ocean, and increasing monitoring efforts to better track fish populations and devise new strategies to improve their status. In April, DWR and CDFW staff began work to remove vegetation from a key migratory path for adult spring-run Chinook s...

Crab Traps Banned For Remainder of Recreational Dungeness Season

27Apr

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Crab Traps Banned For Remainder of Recreational Dungeness Season

Crab traps have been banned through the end of the 2022 recreational Dungeness season in California due to increased risk of whale entanglement. The decision from California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton J. Bonham came in mid-April, after Bonham had assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program and in accordance with regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission for the recreational crab fishery. The Dungeness crab fishing season ends on July 30 for Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties and for all other counties on June 30. The trap restriction went into effect April 24 due to an unusually large numbers of humpback whales migrating back to California waters earlier than in previous years, and because of se...