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- Written by: Carrie Wilson
Which fish species can be filleted at sea?
Question: I need to get the straight answer regarding filleting game fish while on a boat. In the ocean/bay waters, do I need to keep stripers and leopard sharks intact until I get home or can I keep the fillets in one piece with a one inch or more square of skin left on each fillet? Also, are the rules different for inland waters regarding the filleting of fish? (Howard A.)
Answer: You can find an outline of which species may be filleted at sea while on a boat and which may not under section 27.65(b) and (c) on pages 33-34 in the Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet. Only those listed as allowed to be filleted can be filleted. Striped bass and leopard sharks are not on this list and so may not be filleted at sea.
Section 27.65(c): Fish That May Not be Filleted, Steaked or Chunked: No person shall fillet, steak or cut into chunks on any boat or bring ashore as fillets, steaks or chunks the following: any species with a size limit unless a fillet size is otherwise specified in these regulations. California halibut may be filleted or brought ashore as fillets south of Point Arena (Mendocino County).
Since the regulations specify minimum lengths for stripers (18 inches total) and leopard sharks (36 inches total), but no fillet lengths, neither species can be filleted while on a boat or brought ashore as fillets, steaks or chunks.
There are no provisions allowing for filleting fish in inland waters or for possessing fillets on a boat in inland waters with the exception of new regulations passed for 2015-2016.
Title 14 Section 1.45. Filleting of Salmonids in Inland Waters.
Except as otherwise required, all salmon and steelhead taken in inland anadromous waters where a sport fishing license is required, must be kept in such a condition that species and size can be determined until placed at the angler's permanent residence, a commercial preservation facility or being prepared for immediate consumption. Also when required, the presence or absence of a healed adipose fin scar must be able to be determined until placed at the anglers permanent residence, a commercial preservation facility, or being prepared for immediate consumption.
(a) Exceptions:
(1) Chinook salmon taken from July 1 through December 31 in the following areas:
(A) The main stem of the American and Feather rivers.
(B) The main stem of the Sacramento River between the Deschutes Road Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Outside of these exceptions, it would be a violation of Fish and Game Code, sections 5508 and 5509.
Hunting with a .22 caliber rim fire in a lead free zone?
Question: I was wondering if you could still hunt with lead .22 caliber rimfire in a lead free zone. I've been looking for lead free .22 caliber rimfire rounds and its very slim pickins out there. (Cory S.)
Answer: Although the availability of nonlead ammunition may be improving with time, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recognizes it can still be hard to find some calibers. It will take additional planning to participate in hunts where nonlead ammunition is required.
We encourage hunters who intend to participate in these hunts to plan well ahead to be sure they have legal ammunition.
There are a number of lead free .22 rimfire rounds that are manufactured, and stores in the California condor range may be most likely to have them in stock. We recommend searching on the Internet and calling ahead to local retailers.
Remember that .22 rimfire is only legal to use when hunting small game and nongame animals. Current law does not require use of nonlead ammunition when taking rabbits or tree squirrels, unless you are hunting on CDFW lands, but nonlead ammunition will be required statewide for all hunting beginning July 1, 2019.
About Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Web map
Question: I read a journal article recently about California's Marine Protected Areas (MPA) but cannot locate a Web site showing exactly where the MPAs are. Do you have anything posted online where I can go or something you can send me? (Jamie)
Answer: Printed marine protected area (MPA) guidebooks are available via some of the same vendors that sell fishing licenses so that you can easily obtain them (see www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mpa/guidelocations.asp ). If you have problems finding a guidebook, please contact your local CDFW office and ask them to send you one.
If you like the utility of Google Maps, you might appreciate MarineBIOS (see http://map.dfg.ca.gov/marine/ ) a map that you can use to zoom in close on marine protected areas to get a fix on the boundaries.
MarineBIOS lets you choose your "basemap." You can use satellite imagery, a street map or other basemaps, whatever makes the most sense for your situation. (Click on the green basemaps button in the upper left-hand corner of the screen to access these options).
If you have a smartphone or other mobile device with GPS capability, you can use the map on MPAmobile ( www.dfg.ca.gov/m/MPA/ ) to show you where you are in relation to any MPAs, and you can look up information on individual MPAs.
All of this information and more is available online at ( www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mpa/ ). On this Web page, in the Popular Resources box to the right, you'll find the top four big blue buttons lead you to these resources, so these should help you learn where California's marine protected areas are.
A new Marine Management News blog post also describes resources you can use to learn about MPAs (see https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/mpa-maps/ ). If all else fails, you can email your MPA questions to
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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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Putah Creek Wildlife Area in Solano County will be closed until further notice due to impacts from the Wragg fire.
The Wragg fire has burned 8,051 acres in Napa, Solano and Yolo counties, including the entire Putah Creek Wildlife Area.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the closure affects all public uses including, but not limited to, hunting, fishing, hiking and nature viewing.
The closure is intended to allow the landscape and wildlife to recover, minimize erosion, and ensure public safety. As a result of the fire, potential hazards such as loose rocks and falling tree branches exist in the area.
CDFW will reassess the Putah Creek Wildlife Area in spring 2016 to determine if it is suitable for public access.
Putah Creek Wildlife Area is located in Solano County just east of Lake Berryessa.
For more information on the wildlife area, please visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Putah-Creek-WA .
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Cache Creek Natural Area is closed to all public use and access until further notice due to the Rocky Fire burning in Lake, Yolo and Colusa counties.
This closure affects state lands managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), including the Cache Creek Wildlife Area, and public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), including the Cache Creek Wilderness Area within the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
Additional closures are in effect at the Knoxville Wildlife Area managed by CDFW and the Knoxville Recreation Area managed by BLM.
Road closures are also in effect. The Highway 20 corridor is closed from Highway 53 to Walnut Street in Williams, both directions of Ogulin County Road, and Highway 16 is closed from Highway 20 to County Road 41. Jerusalem Valley Road is closed to all traffic at Spruce Grove Road.
Cal Fire is urging motorists to stay vigilant and adhere to frequently changing evacuations and road closures. Due to significant fire activity, it is unknown when the areas will be safe to reopen.
"Safety is our first priority and we are cooperating with emergency responders who are working hard to get this fire under control," said Garry Kelley, an environmental program manager with CDFW's North Central Region. "It is highly unlikely that the Cache Creek Natural Area will open before the Saturday deer hunting opener, and not yet determined if it will open before the season closes on Sept. 20."
For more information about the closures, please call CDFW's North Central Region at 916-358-2900 or Rocky Fire Information Center at 707-967-4207. The message will be revised as more information becomes available.
For current updates on the Rocky Fire, please visit the CAL FIRE Incident Information Web site, http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1161 .
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NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – Because of the Rocky fire in neighboring Lake County, Knoxville Wildlife Area is closed to all public use until further notice to allow safe access for emergency vehicles.
The closure affects Knoxville-Berryessa Road north of Pope Canyon Road.
It is unknown when the wildlife area will be safe to reopen.
"We are hopeful that the wildlife area will reopen before the Saturday deer opener, but it's impossible to say at this time," said Conrad Jones, a senior environmental scientist at Knoxville. "Safety is our first priority, and we are cooperating with emergency responders who are working hard to get this fire under control."
Interested members of the public can call 707-944-5547 for updates on the closure. The message will be revised as more information becomes available.
The public can also monitor the status of the fire at www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps.php .
Please note that on the webpage, Knoxville-Berryessa Road is referred to as Morgan Valley Road in the road closure section.