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Recreation
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- Written by: Editor
Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, toxins have been detected in mussels from Sonoma County, making them unsafe to consume.
PSP is a form of nervous system poisoning. Concentrated levels of the toxins can develop in mussels and other bivalve shellfish when they feed on certain naturally occurring marine plankton that can increase during favorable environmental conditions.
PSP toxins remain at low or undetectable levels along all other portions of the California coast.
The annual quarantine on sport-harvested mussels, which typically runs May 1 through Oct. 31, is intended to protect the public from shellfish poisoning caused by marine biotoxins. There have been no reports of shellfish-related poisonings in California during this quarantine period.
CDPH’s shellfish sampling and testing programs issue warnings or quarantines when needed. Local health departments, various state, federal and tribal agencies, community groups and others participate in the monitoring program.
Residents and community groups interested in volunteering to assist with the testing program should email
Updated information about current conditions is available by calling the Shellfish Information Line at 800-553-4133. More information can be found on the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Web page or the CDPH Annual Mussel Quarantine - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Web page.
Due to the persistent presence of domoic acid in razor clams from beaches in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s closure of the razor clam fishery remains in effect there. More information about the razor clam fishery closure can be found on the CDFW Ocean Health Advisories Web page.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The final guided walk of 2017 is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11.
Meet in the ranch house parking lot at 8:15 a.m. for time to experience the early morning wildlife to be found in the ranch house and barn complex yard. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m.
Join docents Lisa Wilson and Nicola Self as they lead a leisurely walk along the Anderson Flats Trail, and then cut off to the Cache Creek Trail and end back at the ranch house.
Bring your binoculars. This time of year, many resident mammals and birds are attracted to the park because of the abundance of wild blackberries, grapes, rose hips and mistletoe berries available for food.
Fall also brings many migrating birds to the park, some to eat the autumn fruits and some to rest in the waters of Cache Creek and Anderson Marsh, or in the nearby trees.
As the group discovers what fall continues to bring to the park, Self will be sharing her interest in the birds that inhabit the park and Wilson will be discussing the history of the Europeans who first settled at what we now know as Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is located on Highway 53, between Lower Lake and Clearlake.
For more information about the walks, email
More information about AMIA can be found at www.andersonmarsh.org.
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- Written by: Carrie Wilson
Question: What happens if a spearfishing diver spots a large fish and shoots and spears it without realizing until too late that it's a giant (black) sea bass or another prohibited species?
Then after the fish is speared and brought to the surface, the spearfisher realizes they have a fish they can't take or possess, so they promptly return it to the ocean. Has the spearfisher violated any laws?
The reason I ask is because if an angler catches a prohibited species while fishing for other species, they can argue that the take was unintentional/incidental. Could the spearfisher successfully make a similar argument? (Steve H.)
Answer: Spear fishermen are responsible for identifying their targets before they pull the trigger and can be held accountable for shooting a prohibited species.
They are also responsible for ensuring that any fish they shoot meets the minimum size limit requirements for that species, again, before they pull the trigger.
A short lingcod or illegal giant sea bass, for example, is unlikely to survive after being shot by a spear fisherman who has the ability to select his target carefully first.
On the other hand, while an angler fishing from a boat cannot selectively target which individual fish he wishes to catch, when he does catch a short or illegal fish, those fish are much more likely to survive being hooked in the mouth and then immediately released by the angler.
If a diver is unsure about the size or identity of the fish they are aiming at, the diver should choose a different target. Shooting a fish that you're unsure of could end up being illegal, and many spear fishermen would consider it unethical as well.
These same principles also all apply to hunters. No one with a rifle, shotgun, spear gun or even a bow should pull the trigger unless absolutely 100 percent sure that their intended target is of legal size, species, gender, etc.
An accurate (or even lucky) shot made, but with an error in judgment, is not worth the repercussions of breaking the very laws enacted to protect the state's fish and wildlife.
Hunting with an airbow
Question: I have been learning about the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow and am curious about the legal status of using these for hunting. It seems to be the functional equivalent of a crossbow and so I would think they would be appropriate for general big game seasons where archery is a legal method of take.
Does the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have a position on this innovative hunting tool? (Gregory Z.)
Answer: Airbows are essentially airguns that shoot arrows. They are not firearms nor are they (by definition) bows or crossbows (see California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 354).
Game mammals and birds may only be taken by the methods listed in CCR Title 14, sections 311, 507 and 354. While firearms, bows and crossbows are all allowable methods of take, the airbow does not fall under any of these definitions, and thus may not be used to take wildlife in California.
Fine for no fishing license?
Question: We are hunters and fisherman. My 24-year-old son has a fishing license but didn't have it in possession, so when he met up with a game warden in the field, he got cited.
Do you know how much the fine is? I thought you could lookup fine amount somehow. (Roy, Oroville)
Answer: The fine for fishing without a license includes a base fine, state and county penalty assessments, and court fees and is generally a minimum of $485 but could be much more, depending on the court.
If your son shows up in court and presents a fishing license that was valid at the time of citation and as long as there were no other violations, and it was lawful to take fish where your son was cited, the court is authorized to reduce the fine per Fish and Game Code section 12002.2(b).
At that point the base fine, state and county penalty assessments and court fees is generally a minimum of $192 but could be much more, depending on the court. It is very important for your son to go ahead and show up to court and prove he had a fishing license at the time of citation to qualify for this exception.
Again, the above fine amounts are minimum, and most counties vary. All fines are designated by each respective court. You should either receive a bail notice from the court or be able to determine the fine amount through the court and/or their computer system once your son's case has been submitted.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at
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- Written by: Editor
Although the overall wild pheasant population has been decreasing in recent years and the number of hunt days has been reduced on some wildlife areas, opportunities are still available on state-managed lands.
The 2017 general pheasant season will open Saturday, Nov. 11 and extend through Sunday, Dec. 24.
The daily bag limit is two males per day for the first two days of the season and three males per day thereafter. The possession limit is triple the daily bag limit. Shooting hours are from 8 a.m. to sunset.
Native to Asia, the ring-necked pheasant was introduced to California as a game bird species in the late 1800s.
Though they flourished in California for decades, numbers have been dropping since the most recent high in the late 1990s.
Total pheasant harvest on public areas in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys declined from a high of 4,828 roosters in 1998 to 461 last year.
In an effort to address the decline, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife continues efforts to restore and enhance upland habitat on public areas.
This is in addition to a multiyear collaborative research project with Pheasants Forever and the United States Geological Survey to better understand factors that limit populations.
These field studies of wild pheasant survival and reproduction at locations around northern California will continue into 2018 and result in a report of findings and future management recommendations.
Preliminary results indicate that changing land use practices is one of the major drivers of wild pheasant declines on both public and private lands.
An overall decline in annual acres of "unharvested cropland" correlate with pheasant declines as well as decreases in acres of planted barley, sugar beets, winter wheat and sorghum, and increases in acres of nut trees and rice. Pesticide use and increases in avian predator populations also appear to play a role.
In 2010, CDFW reduced the number of days that certain wildlife areas will be open for pheasant hunting due to a decline in the number of hunters targeting pheasant and the cost to operate check stations during the first week of the season. For the upcoming season, hunters should be aware of the following restrictions on wildlife areas:
Type A wildlife areas in the Sacramento Valley (Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area (Little Dry Creek, Llano Seco and Howard Slough units) will be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and the first Monday (Nov. 13) during the pheasant season.
Sutter National Wildlife Refuge, Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will only be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during the pheasant season.
Type A wildlife areas in the San Joaquin Valley (Los Banos Wildlife Area, Mendota Wildlife Area, North Grasslands Wildlife Area, Volta Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge free roam area) will only be open for pheasant hunting on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during the pheasant season.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Kesterson Unit blind area will only be open for pheasant hunting the first Monday (Nov. 13) and a special zone of the Freitas Unit will only be open on the first Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 11-12) of the pheasant season.
The Wister Unit of Imperial Wildlife Area in Imperial County and San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County will continue to be closed to pheasant hunting this year.
Type C wildlife areas will remain open as normal.
Nonlead ammunition is now required when hunting pheasants anywhere in the state, except on licensed game bird clubs. For more information please see the CDFW Nonlead Ammunition Web page.
All hunters must carry a current California hunting license in their possession. Adult hunters (18 or older) must also have an upland game bird validation. The full upland game bird hunting regulations and a summary as well as the public lands regulations for 2017-18 are available on CDFW's website.
The modifications of the shoot days on Type A wildlife areas are pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 550(i)(1).
For more information on specific hunting opportunities, hunters should contact their regional CDFW offices and check the CDFW Web site.