April 12, 2019 – The winter of 2018-19 brought ample rainfall and snowpack – good news for drought-weary Californians. The bad news is that the vegetation growth that follows abundant rainfall can lead to abounding rodent populations that some people try to control with poisons. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds people […]
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Posted inCalifornia
Wildlife Conservation Board Funds Stream Flow Enhancement Projects
April 8, 2019 – The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) has approved approximately $13 million in grants to help enhance flows in streams throughout California. A total of 11 stream flow enhancement projects were approved at an April 4 meeting of the Stream Flow Enhancement Program Board. The approved projects will provide or lead to a […]
Posted inRegional
Shake, Rattle and Roll: Rattlesnake Season is here
April 5, 2019 –With the coming of spring and warmer weather conditions, snakes of many species are through hunkering down, making human encounters with these elusive creatures more likely. Although most native snakes are harmless, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recommends giving the venomous rattlesnake a wide berth and knowing what to […]
Posted inCalifornia
CDFW Reminds Public to Leave Young Wildlife Alone
April 4, 2019 – Late spring and early summer is the peak time for California’s wildlife to have their young, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is issuing a reminder to well-intentioned people to not interact with young wildlife – even if they find an animal that appears to be abandoned. It […]
Posted inCalifornia
Commercial Dungeness Crab Season to Close Statewide April 15
April 3, 2019 – California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham issued a declaration to close the commercial Dungeness crab fishery statewide at 11:59 p.m. on April 15, 2019 due to increased whale entanglement risk anticipated for the spring and summer months. Under the interim authority of Section 8276.1(c)(1) of the […]
Posted inCalifornia
CDFW Confirms Increase of Canine Distemper Virus in Wild Foxes in Siskiyou County
March 4, 2019 – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has recently seen an increased number of confirmed and suspect cases of canine distemper virus (CDV) in wild gray foxes in the Mount Shasta and Scott Valley areas in Siskiyou County. Most of California’s carnivore species are susceptible to CDV, with gray foxes, […]
Posted inCalifornia
Commission Accepts Listing Petition; Requires Closure of Some Recreational Fishing in Klamath Basin
Feb. 8, 2019 – At its February 2019 meeting in Sacramento, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) took action on a number of issues affecting California’s natural resources. 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 […]
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Conviction in Great White Shark Shooting
January 24, 2019 – A San Jose man was recently convicted in Santa Cruz Superior Court for unlawfully killing a Great White Shark (also known as a White Shark) in Santa Cruz County last summer. Vinh Pham, 41, was fined $5,000 and placed on conditional probation for two years. The court also ordered his firearm […]
Posted inCalifornia
Water Bird Die-off at Salton Sea
Jan. 22, 2019 – Thousands of water birds died of an avian cholera outbreak at the south end of the Salton Sea between Jan. 8-17. Outbreaks like this one occur annually as a result of birds flocking closely together during migration. On Jan. 8, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) began receiving reports […]
Posted inCalifornia
CDFW Investigating Die-Off of Desert Bighorn Sheep
January 21, 2019 – Wildlife biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are investigating what appears to be a significant mortality event associated with respiratory disease among the San Gorgonio desert bighorn sheep population in Riverside County. CDFW has confirmed that at least 20 animals have died but suspects that total mortality […]
Posted inCalifornia
Remember California’s Endangered Species at Tax Time
Jan. 11, 2019 – You can help endangered species by making a donation to the Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Program, the California Sea Otter Fund, and the Native California Wildlife Rehabilitation Fund in the Voluntary Contributions section of your California Income Tax Form. If you itemize deductions, your donation will be tax deductible the […]
Posted inCalifornia
Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Delayed in Northern California
November 21, 2018 – California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham issued a memo delaying the northern California commercial Dungeness crab season due to poor crab meat quality test results. The delay includes Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties). The northern Dungeness crab […]
Posted inCalifornia
CDFW Now Accepting Proposals for Ecosystem Restoration and Protection Projects
Nov. 5, 2018 – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is now accepting proposals for ecosystem restoration and protection projects under its 2019 Proposal Solicitation Notice. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020, a total of $53 million will be made available for these grants, which are funded through Propositions 1 and 68. Funding […]
Posted inCalifornia
Nimbus Hatchery Fish Ladder to Open Nov. 2
The salmon ladder at Nimbus Hatchery in Rancho Cordova will open Friday, Nov. 2, signaling the start of the spawning season on the American River. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) hatchery workers will open the gates in the ladder at 10:30 a.m. and will take more than a half-million eggs during the first […]
Posted inCalifornia
Wildlife Officers Remove Cannabis Grow Site,from CDFW Wildlife Area
Oct. 5, 2018 – Law enforcement officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently conducted a successful outdoor raid on a black-market marijuana cultivation site in the White Slough Wildlife Area in San Joaquin County. In all, wildlife officers removed approximately 1,700 plants at the site. In the late summer, wildlife officers […]
Posted inLife
CDFW Outdoors Q & A: How Do I Catch a Hunter/Trespasser on My Property?
March 30, 2018 – Question: I own property in a rural part of Monterey County although I don’t live there all the time. I am there most weekends and many weeklong stretches throughout the year. Twice in the last month, I found a gate open on my property that should always be closed. I know […]
Posted inRegional
Elusive Sierra Nevada Red Fox Captured in Tehama County
March 1, 2018 – A Sierra Nevada red fox was captured in Tehama County last month by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists researching this rare sub-species of red fox. The 10-pound male fox was captured on national forest land just outside of Lassen Volcanic National Park, near the town of Mineral. The […]
Posted inCalifornia
Nutria Discovered in San Joaquin Valley; CDFW Seeks to Prevent Further Spread and Infestation
February 8, 2018 – The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has become aware of a population of invasive nutria (Myocastor coypus) reproducing within the San Joaquin Valley. Given the severity of potential impacts and the impacts realized in other infested states, CDFW believes early intervention actions could be successful in eradicating nutria from […]
Posted inCalifornia
Bobcat Image Named Winner of Wildlife Photo of the Year Contest
Jan. 23, 2018 – Santa Clara resident Shravan Sundaram’s photograph of a young bobcat descending a tree in Livermore’s Sycamore Grove Park earned the 2017 grand prize in the California Wildlife Photo of the Year contest. The intense gaze of the cat as it stared into the camera’s lens elevated it in the yearlong contest […]
Posted inCalifornia
Northern California Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Opener Delayed Again Due to Quality Testing
December 26, 2017 – The Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced a final 15-day delay for the northern California commercial Dungeness crab season. Crab condition improved from the last round of pre-season quality testing conducted on Dec. 19. However, crab had not reached the minimum meat recovery criteria as […]