How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Recreation
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The meeting will feature the outlook for this year's sport and commercial ocean salmon fisheries, in addition to a review of last year's salmon fisheries and spawning escapement.
The meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency, 404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa.
Anglers are encouraged to provide input on potential fishing seasons to a panel of California salmon scientists, managers and representatives who will be directly involved in the upcoming Pacific Fishery Management Council, or PFMC, meetings in March and April.
The 2019 Salmon Information Meeting marks the beginning of a two-month long public process used to develop annual sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing recommendations.
The process involves collaborative negotiations with West Coast states, federal and tribal agencies, and stakeholders interested in salmon fishery management and conservation.
Public input will help California representatives develop a range of recommended season alternatives during the March 5-12 PFMC meeting in Vancouver, Wash.
The PFMC will finalize the recommended season dates at its April 9 to 16 meeting in Rohnert Park.
A list of additional meetings and other opportunities for public comment is available on CDFW's ocean salmon Web page, www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon/preseason.
The meeting agenda and handouts will be posted online as soon as they become available.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The OHMVR Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program supports well-managed off-highway vehicle recreation in California by providing financial assistance to cities, counties, districts, federal agencies, state agencies, educational institutions, federally recognized Native American Tribes and nonprofit entities.
The BLM applies for grants from the OHMVR Division each year to help fund and coordinate its OHV program.
The Ukiah Field Office plans to apply for grant funds for planning on South Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area, law enforcement, restoration, as well as operations and maintenance of OHV areas.
Preliminary applications must be submitted to OHMVR no later than March 4, and will be available on the division website at http://www.ohv.parks.ca.gov.
The Web site provides detailed instructions on how the public can access, review and comment on the preliminary applications from March 5 through May 6.
Public comments should be submitted to the OHMVR or to the Ukiah Field Office at
As stewards, the BLM manages public lands for the benefit of current and future generations, supporting conservation in pursuit of its multiple-use mission.
For more information, please contact the Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
“Our goal is to support and encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy California’s wild places,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “The fishing and hunting opportunities in this state are unparalleled, they belong to all Californians and should be utilized by all of us. This effort is to make sure Californians know that.”
CDFW has formed an executive-level task force, hired a full-time coordinator to head-up the effort, hired a research scientist, and finalized a statewide recruitment, retention and reactivation, or R3, action plan.
A staff-level working group is working to increase hunting and fishing participation by collaborating with diverse stakeholders to transform barriers to participation into opportunities.
Some of the barriers CDFW will look at initially are access and opportunity challenges, public perception of fishing and hunting, and license structure and pricing. The effort will also focus on encouraging more adults to take up hunting and fishing for the first time.
Research shows spending time outdoors improves physical, mental and social well-being. Many hunters and anglers say the reason they participate in these activities is to enjoy the quality time with family and friends and to bring home great memories and healthy food.
California is home to some of the nation’s most diverse hunting and fishing opportunities, but participation in these activities has declined significantly since the 1970s and 1980s.
Hunters and anglers play a crucial role in managing natural resources by regulating wildlife populations to maintain ecological and biological diversity, participating in wildlife surveys for scientific data collection, and reporting wildlife crimes.
Hunters and anglers also help sustain a multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry and provide the primary funding source for state-level fish and wildlife conservation in California.
The decline in participation poses an ever-increasing threat to wildlife conservation, the state’s long-standing hunting and fishing heritage, and Californians’ connection to the outdoors in general.
“The fishing and hunting community has rallied around CDFW, and we are now poised to tackle the challenges before us,” Bonham said.
To get involved or learn more about the state’s R3 efforts, please contact
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The commission accepted a petition to list Upper Klamath-Trinity River Spring Chinook Salmon as endangered, setting into motion a status review to be completed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The petitioners, the Karuk Tribe and Salmon River Restoration Council, submitted information suggesting declining population trends and a low abundance, making this stock of salmon vulnerable to extinction.
The commission action results in Spring Chinook Salmon being designated as a Candidate Species under the California Endangered Species Act, or CESA, which provides Candidate Species the same protections as species listed as endangered and threatened under CESA.
CDFW also requested the Commission adopt emergency fishing regulations necessary to reconcile them with the CESA protections. CDFW will also be in consultation with federal regulatory bodies concerning ocean fishing regulations.
Acceptance of the petition triggers a one-year status review by CDFW to determine if a CESA listing by the Commission may be warranted. CDFW, after review of the best scientific information available, will make a recommendation to the Commission on whether to list Spring Chinook Salmon as either endangered or threatened, or that listing is not warranted at this time.
The following inland salmon fishing closures were approved by the Commission through the emergency regulations:
– Klamath River main stem from the mouth of the river to Iron Gate dam. Closed to salmon fishing from the anticipated effective date of February 22 (subject to approval from the Office of Administrative Law (OAL)) to Aug. 14.
– Trinity River main stem from its confluence to the Highway 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat. Closed to salmon fishing from the anticipated effective date of February 22 (subject to OAL approval) to Aug. 31.
– Trinity River main stem from upstream of the Highway 299 Bridge at Cedar Flat to Old Lewiston Bridge. Closed to salmon fishing from the anticipated effective date of February 22 (subject to OAL approval) to Oct. 15.
Fishing for Upper Klamath-Trinity River Fall Chinook Salmon will be allowed in these areas after the closure dates listed above. Quotas and bag and possession limits for Fall Chinook Salmon will be adopted by the commission in May of this year. Steelhead fishing will be allowed year-round with normal bag and possession limits.
Along with its adoption of the emergency regulations, the commission also directed CDFW to work with stakeholders, including affected counties, fishing organizations, tribes and conservation groups, to investigate options to allow some Spring Chinook Salmon fishing in 2019.
Under Section of 2084 of Fish and Game Code, the commission can consider hook-and-line recreational fishing on a Candidate Species.
CDFW will present the results of that stakeholder collaboration and potential options using Section 2084 at the Commission's next public meeting, which will be held April 17 in Santa Monica.
The public may keep track of the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling the information hotline at 800-564-6479.
Additional information can be found in the "2018-2019 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations" and the "2018-2019 California Supplement Sport Fishing Regulations."
The commission also voted to re-elect Commissioner Eric Sklar as president and Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin as vice president. In addition to Sklar and Hostler-Carmesin, Commissioners Russell Burns and Peter Silva were present. One seat is vacant.
The full commission agenda, supporting information and a schedule of upcoming meetings are available at www.fgc.ca.gov. An archived video will also be available in coming days.