California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Two California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) trout hatcheries in the Eastern Sierra are continuing to fight an outbreak of Lactococcus petuari, a naturally occurring bacteria that sickens fish. The current outbreak was first detected in April 2022. CDFW fishery managers announced this week that approximately 350,000 infected catchable rainbow trout are now showing […]

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is nearing the completion of its efforts to transport 19.7 million hatchery-raised fall-run and 960,000 spring-run juvenile Chinook salmon (known as smolts) to the San Pablo Bay, San Francisco Bay and seaside net pens this spring and summer. CDFW raises the fish at Feather River, Nimbus, Mokelumne […]

Since approximately May 13, 2022, several Southern and Central California wildlife rehabilitation facilities from San Luis Obispo County south to San Diego County have been admitting hundreds of California brown pelicans, a fully protected species in California. The pelicans have been found emaciated and frequently with secondary injuries or broken wings. Many of these birds […]

State and federal biologists have begun moving endangered adult winter-run Chinook salmon to the upper reaches of Battle Creek and threatened spring-run Chinook salmon to Clear Creek in northern California, where colder water temperatures will better support spawning and help their eggs survive the continuing drought.   Teams from the California Department of Fish and […]

Dog owners in northern California are reminded to take precautions to protect their pets from Salmon Poisoning Disease. Salmon Poisoning Disease is a potentially fatal condition seen only in dogs after they eat certain types of raw or cold smoked fish like trout and salmon that are infected with a bacteria-like organism, Neorickettsia helminthoeca, which […]

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced the closure of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the Oregon state line) effective at noon on April 20, 2022. This closure […]

Would you like to help the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recover and rehabilitate animals after they’ve been injured or orphaned by wildfires? What about supporting CDFW’s research into why the California sea otter population is unable to flourish in its native coastal waters? Or how drought and climate change affect California’s native […]

Livermore native Su­­e Crow Griffin’s image of affection displayed by a mother bobcat to her offspring along an Alameda County walking path has earned the 2021 grand prize in the 10th annual California Wildlife Photo of the Year contest. In a virtual celebration, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham named […]

SAN PEDRO, Calif – A unified command has been established to respond to an oil sheen reported a half-mile off Bolsa Chica State Beach. The Unified Command consists of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), and Orange County. Divers confirmed this afternoon […]

On Nov. 10, OR93 was found dead near Interstate 5 near the town of Lebec, Calif. Following a full investigation and necropsy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has determined that the wolf died from trauma consistent with vehicular strike and does not suspect foul play.   On the afternoon of Nov. 10, […]

November 19, 2021 – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon into the Klamath River now that river conditions have improved with cooler temperatures and increased flows that give the young salmon their best chance at survival and reaching the Pacific Ocean. More than 2 million baby […]

Take of all fish and shellfish is immediately prohibited from Huntington Beach to Dana Point, including the shorelines and offshore areas and all bays due to an oil spill in Southern California. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has determined that a threat to public health is likely by fishing in the affected […]

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced that the Shasta Valley Wildlife Area in Siskiyou County will be closed to waterfowl hunting for the entirety of the 2021-22 season as a result of lost wetlands and waterfowl habitat due to drought conditions. The Northeastern Zone waterfowl season runs from Oct. 2, 2021, […]

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has closed 33 properties that lie within or immediately adjacent to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) boundaries due to extreme fire conditions. Effective immediately, these properties are closed to the public through Friday, Sept. 17. All closures are CDFW wildlife areas or ecological reserves, and they cover many parts […]