Recreation
California's recreational salmon fishery will open in ocean waters on Saturday, April 7, from Pigeon Point (37° 11' 00" N. latitude) south to the U.S./Mexico border.
The recreational salmon fishery will remain closed in all other areas off California during the month of April.
At its meeting this week in Rohnert Park, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, or PFMC, made the decision to open only a limited section of the California coast on April 7.
California's recent drought combined with poor ocean conditions has resulted in three consecutive years of low abundance for Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook, pushing both into "overfished" status.
"Fishing seasons are being curtailed this year in an effort to increase spawner escapement to the Sacramento and Klamath river basins in 2018," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist Kandice Morgenstern.
Where fishing is open in April, the minimum size limit is 24 inches total length. Additional season, bag/possession limit information and gear restrictions can be found on California Department of Fish and Wildlife's ocean salmon Web page at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon.
For the first time, state ocean salmon fishing regulations will automatically conform to federal ocean salmon fishing regulations using the new process described in the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 1.95. In the past, the California Fish and Game Commission needed to adopt the April season recommended by the PFMC.
Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the NMFS ocean salmon hotline at 800-662-9825.
Salmon seasons beginning on or after May 1 will be decided during the April 5-11 PFMC meeting in Portland, Ore.
The PFMC is considering alternatives for California's 2018 commercial and recreational ocean salmon regulations, including season dates and size limits.
The public is encouraged to comment at a hearing on Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m., at the Laurel Inn and Conference Center, 801 West Laurel Drive in Salinas.
Comments can also be submitted through the PFMC Web site at www.pcouncil.org.
The recreational salmon fishery will remain closed in all other areas off California during the month of April.
At its meeting this week in Rohnert Park, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, or PFMC, made the decision to open only a limited section of the California coast on April 7.
California's recent drought combined with poor ocean conditions has resulted in three consecutive years of low abundance for Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook, pushing both into "overfished" status.
"Fishing seasons are being curtailed this year in an effort to increase spawner escapement to the Sacramento and Klamath river basins in 2018," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist Kandice Morgenstern.
Where fishing is open in April, the minimum size limit is 24 inches total length. Additional season, bag/possession limit information and gear restrictions can be found on California Department of Fish and Wildlife's ocean salmon Web page at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon.
For the first time, state ocean salmon fishing regulations will automatically conform to federal ocean salmon fishing regulations using the new process described in the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 1.95. In the past, the California Fish and Game Commission needed to adopt the April season recommended by the PFMC.
Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the NMFS ocean salmon hotline at 800-662-9825.
Salmon seasons beginning on or after May 1 will be decided during the April 5-11 PFMC meeting in Portland, Ore.
The PFMC is considering alternatives for California's 2018 commercial and recreational ocean salmon regulations, including season dates and size limits.
The public is encouraged to comment at a hearing on Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m., at the Laurel Inn and Conference Center, 801 West Laurel Drive in Salinas.
Comments can also be submitted through the PFMC Web site at www.pcouncil.org.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding sturgeon anglers to return their 2017 Sturgeon Fishing Report Cards as required by law.
Although the deadline to report their catch was Jan. 31, 2018, so far about 13,754 – or 31 percent – of the 44,374 report cards have been returned.
Sport fishing regulations require that all sturgeon anglers return their report cards, even those who did not encounter sturgeon and who did not fish for white sturgeon.
"Anglers who return their report cards are providing very good data, helping to protect the white sturgeon fishery, and helping to rebuild the populations of white sturgeon and threatened green sturgeon," said Marty Gingras, CDFW Sturgeon Program Manager. "This is especially important given the years of drought that harmed recent sturgeon reproduction."
California's white sturgeon and green sturgeon are anadromous, meaning they move from the ocean or brackish water to spawn in freshwater.
Because their populations were reduced by commercial fishing in the 19th century, sturgeon fisheries were mostly closed from 1901 through 1953.
Since 1954, recreational fishing for white sturgeon has been allowed, and the fishery continues to be restricted in an effort to rebuild it.
Green sturgeon is a federally listed threatened species and may not be fished for or harvested.
Anglers can return their overdue report cards by mail to the address printed on the card or – until April 1, 2018 – they can report online at the CDFW Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521416-harvest-reporting.
Although the deadline to report their catch was Jan. 31, 2018, so far about 13,754 – or 31 percent – of the 44,374 report cards have been returned.
Sport fishing regulations require that all sturgeon anglers return their report cards, even those who did not encounter sturgeon and who did not fish for white sturgeon.
"Anglers who return their report cards are providing very good data, helping to protect the white sturgeon fishery, and helping to rebuild the populations of white sturgeon and threatened green sturgeon," said Marty Gingras, CDFW Sturgeon Program Manager. "This is especially important given the years of drought that harmed recent sturgeon reproduction."
California's white sturgeon and green sturgeon are anadromous, meaning they move from the ocean or brackish water to spawn in freshwater.
Because their populations were reduced by commercial fishing in the 19th century, sturgeon fisheries were mostly closed from 1901 through 1953.
Since 1954, recreational fishing for white sturgeon has been allowed, and the fishery continues to be restricted in an effort to rebuild it.
Green sturgeon is a federally listed threatened species and may not be fished for or harvested.
Anglers can return their overdue report cards by mail to the address printed on the card or – until April 1, 2018 – they can report online at the CDFW Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521416-harvest-reporting.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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