Recreation
Question: My neighbor has lake front property and regularly chases away (or throws sticks and pine cones at) Canada geese during the nesting season. His intent is to keep them off his dock, but he extends his harassment about one-tenth of a mile up the beach on several others private ground and PG&E property. Is this legal? I figure the wildlife came with the property location and should be left alone. Love my neighbor but hate his treatment of our local geese. (Anonymous)
Answer: Your neighbor is within his rights to haze geese from his property. Canada geese are state and federally protected under laws and regulations within the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and California Fish and Game Code. However, within those regulations, non-lethal hazing methods, such as harassment as done by this individual, are allowed to deter Canada geese from privately-owned property where property damage or a nuisance may occur to the landowner.
Resident Canada goose populations have increased considerably since the 1990s in California. In this time, Canada geese have expanded outside their historical nesting range. Due to this increase, conflicts between landowners and resident Canada geese have expanded in many counties in California.
Your neighbor is allowed to scare resident geese away from his property with non-lethal means at any time. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) advocates that landowners take proactive non-lethal measures to reduce Canada goose use on impacted private property. Possible suggestions for hazing geese away from properties during the breeding season include landscape modification to make the area less attractive to resident geese (e.g. keep grass short to discourage feeding), use of dogs, visual deterrents, such as scarecrows, predator decoys, mylar flagging and balloons, and fencing. Additionally, waterfowl hunting can be an effective deterrent in problem areas outside the breeding season when state and local regulations allow this activity.
For additional questions regarding how private landowners can best control problem Canada geese, please contact DFG’s Waterfowl Program staff at 916-445-3763.
Fishing on private property
Question: Do I need a fishing license when fishing a private lake on a ranch behind a locked gate? There is no public access. The lake is fed by a year round creek that originates on federal land. The fish in it were planted by a private party, but the fish do run up the creek to spawn. Thanks for the clarification. (Ken, Alturas).
Answer: Yes, you need a fishing license. Even though this lake is on private property, a fishing license is required because the lake is fed by a permanent stream. A license would not be required if this lake is being maintained and operated as a licensed Aquaculture Facility.
Highest number of abalone harvested in last decade?
Question: When in the last decade were the most abalone harvested? (Anonymous)
Answer: In 2007, a total of 309,000 abalone were harvested along the North Coast, which marked the highest abalone harvest season of the decade. That was the only year between 2002 and 2010 that more than 300,000 were harvested. According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Environmental Biologist Jerry Kashiwada, these figures are calculated from a sampling of abalone report cards that were returned to us and a systematic telephone survey. The annual average for 2002 to 2010 was 264,000. Since this is based on what is entered on cards and wardens often encounter people who fail to complete their cards, we believe it represents the minimum number taken.
Using lead projectiles in air rifles in Condor Country?
Question: I know that air rifles are not technically considered firearms, but shouldn't the lead pellets from an air rifle still be illegal in Condor Country because they contain lead? It would seem the reason for banning lead projectiles is because it is made up of lead, not because of the type of firearm/weapon/tool it came out of. What is the purpose of the lead ban if it is legal to use lead pellets from a pellet rifle? Isn't there a health risk involved with condors and lead, thus the ban on lead? If the pellet rifle is not considered a firearm, isn't this a flaw in how the lead ban law is written when it states that the projectiles come from a firearm? (Sarah D.)
Answer: DFG enforces the Fish and Game Code regulations after they go through the legislative process and are adopted by the Fish and Game Commission. You raise valid policy questions that may have been considered by the State Legislature and Commission in developing the lead bullet bans. DFG cant speak for the Commission, but If you'd like to research this issue further, please contact the Fish and Game Commission directly. Their website is www.fgc.ca.gov .
Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at
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- Written by: Carrie Wilson
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds sport anglers to be vigilant about properly identifying their salmon before keeping them.
The ocean salmon fishing season in California is well under way and proper identification is critical for the survival of a protected species of salmon.
Chinook (or king) salmon is the primary species targeted in California’s ocean waters (although a few pink salmon are caught occasionally).
However, the retention of coho (or silver) salmon is prohibited in all California ocean fisheries, specifically to protect central coast and southern Oregon-northern California coast coho stocks.
Both stocks are severely declining and listed under both the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.
Coho salmon have existed in California coastal waters for thousands of years. Today, however, their populations have declined to just a fraction of their historical levels, endangered by a wide range of
factors.
Coho salmon populations along the coast from the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz County north to the Smith River in Del Norte County have reached a critical state of decline.
Spawner escapement numbers are below those required for sustainable populations and constitute a crisis for coho salmon survival on the California coast.
In most years, sport anglers begin catching coho salmon in the ocean fishery around mid-May. Coho catches generally peak during June and then gradually decline throughout the remainder of summer.
Although some of these fish may have originated from hatcheries in Oregon and Washington, many are native California coho and any retention in California ocean fisheries has been prohibited since 1995.
California ocean fisheries are managed to provide for the maximum access to abundant Chinook stocks while still protecting depressed California coho populations.
Sport fishing enthusiasts can significantly help California coho stocks by taking the time to correctly identify each salmon caught before removing it from the water (netting or dropping a coho salmon onto the deck of a boat can cause both scale loss and trauma that will likely reduce its chance of survival when released).
Coho salmon should be identified through examination of mouth and gums. The base of the bottom teeth on a Chinook salmon are all black whereas coho salmon have a narrow light gray band.
A photo guide is viewable online at http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36125&;inline=true .
Although not as often caught in ocean waters, steelhead cannot be targeted or taken during the ocean salmon season. Steelhead show no black color on lower jaw and tongue.
To help avoid coming in contact with coho salmon, anglers should rig their lines to fish deeper as coho are more often found in the top 30 feet of water.
Anglers should plan to fish nearer to shore for Chinook salmon as coho salmon are typically found farther offshore. Using larger lures that select for the larger Chinook salmon will also reduce coho
salmon catch.
The daily bag limit remains two salmon of any species except coho salmon. For complete ocean salmon regulations, please visit the Ocean Salmon Web page at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/oceansalmon.asp or call the Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at 707-576-3429.
Sport anglers are also reminded that coho salmon may also be found in coastal rivers and streams. Retention of coho salmon in any California inland salmon fishery has been prohibited since 1998.
Protecting coho salmon in the ocean, as well as in streams and rivers, is an essential step in recovering this important salmon species.
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