CDFG news release

California Department of Fish and Game
 
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 07:021 Feb. 16, 2007
 
Contacts: Harry Morse, DFG Office of Communications, (916) 651-1173
 Marty Gingras, Bay Delta Region Supervising Biologist, (209) 948-7800
       
New Sturgeon Regulations/Fishing Report Card Goes Into Effect March 1
 
New regulations on the sturgeon sport fishery will go into effect on Thursday March 1. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced that new regulations require possession of a Sturgeon Fishing Report Card and establish a three-fish annual bag limit on white sturgeon.   
 
All anglers fishing for sturgeon are required to possess a Sturgeon Fishing Report Card and tags, which are free. Even anglers who are not required to have a sport fishing license, including those who are less than 16 years old and anglers who fish from public piers in ocean waters, must have a report card and tags to fish for sturgeon. 
 
The Sturgeon Fishing Report Card is used to collect data for fisheries management and to enforce both daily and annual bag limits on white sturgeon. An angler may possess only one report card and three serialized tags per license-year. 
 
Information on all sturgeon caught, including those released, must be immediately recorded on the Sturgeon Fishing Report Card with a ball point pen. Serialized tags come attached to the bottom of each report card, and all white sturgeon kept must be tagged according to the instructions on the report card. The tag must remain with the white sturgeon until the fish is processed, steaked, or filleted for consumption and stored at a residence or non-transient location.
 
Every angler who is issued a Sturgeon Fishing Report Card must return it to the address listed on the back of the card by Jan. 31, 2008, even if they did not fish for sturgeon, or if no sturgeon were caught. 
 
The 2007 Sport Fishing Regulations Booklets are available for complete regulations on fishing for sturgeon (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/07-09-inland-fish-regs.pdf). Highlights of the regulations include the following:   
• Green sturgeon:  May not be kept.   
• White sturgeon:  Daily bag limit is one, the annual bag limit is three, and the size slot limit is 46 inches minimum length and 66 inches maximum length.
• No ‘boat limits’ for white sturgeon.
• White sturgeon season is open all year, except for closures listed under special regulations.
 
As with prior regulations, an angler who keeps a white sturgeon must stop fishing for sturgeon for the day. Similarly, once an angler has kept three white sturgeon in a year they must stop fishing for sturgeon for the year. 
 
Green sturgeon were listed in 2006 as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, and the new sport fishing regulations are the first in a series of new conservations measures. Additional conservation measures are also warranted for white sturgeon due to their life-history and illegal trade in caviar made from their eggs. To address these issues, the Fish and Game Commission adopted new regulations for the sport fishery and DFG has placed additional emphasis on sturgeon-specific law enforcement, research and monitoring, habitat improvement, and public outreach.
 
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Thanks Jim.  We knew it was in the works, but now it's official.

I just hope those darn cards will be available when and where we need them.

Thanks Jim...

I'll be posting  a hookup for this Saturday (2/24) to target Sturgeon out of China Camp... last chance to catch one legally larger than 66 inches.

Here is another one
California Department of Fish and Game
 
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 07:019 Feb. 16, 2007
 
Contacts: Marc Heisdorf, Associate Marine Biologist, (707) 576-2873
 Steve Martarano, Office of Communications, (916) 654-5866
 
DFG to Host Public Salmon Informational Meetings
 
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) invites interested members of the public to attend the two 2007 Salmon Fishery Informational meetings in February. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Santa Rosa from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency located at 404 Aviation Blvd. The second meeting is set for Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Area Foundation main conference room in Bayside (near Eureka), 373 Indianola Rd.
 
The meetings will focus on the status of ocean salmon populations and the outlook for ocean and river fisheries in the coming year. The public will be encouraged to provide input on fishing options for the 2007 ocean and river Chinook salmon fisheries. Attendees will also be given a list of upcoming salmon meetings where they can provide additional public input.
 
All 2007 salmon meetings are listed on the DFG’s website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/html/pubnotice.html

....I think what Jim is trying to say is....."get the hell out of Nor Cal and move down to So Cal" 

....I think what Jim is trying to say is....."get the hell out of Nor Cal and move down to So Cal" 

Hey Mooch.... I think you're right!
Jim... got any homes for sale in your neighborhood??? 

not to thread jack here but, who's the guy in your sig pic Jim, doesn't look like the jim sammons I met at the fred hall show, that guy loooked much more conservative.

really though, who's attending the salmon meeting in santa rosa???  Also, i'm really interested in whats gonna happen when we go to the report cards for sturgeon.  There are alot of people out there who don't know the regs that well to begin with.  Not to be sour here, but does DFG have the resources to enforce this new regulation, I don't believe so but kudo's to them for the time and effort to try and save this fishery. 

I have no issues with this new reg, I'd be lucky to catch 3 sturgeon in a year anyways.  I still need to get over to the coastside board and see what people are saying about the boat limit rule.  Thats another interesting thing.  If your on a party boat I guess you could keep fishin with a different setup for striper, leopard shark and those oh so tasty kingfish.  mmmmmm, delicious.  jtf..

I've always liked that photo, what you can't see is the very large plastic sticking out of the fishes mouth.


If you guys are not aware you can go to the CDFG site (somewhere) and sign up for email broadcasts. You will get all of these updates mailed to you.

If you guys are not aware you can go to the CDFG site (somewhere) and sign up for email broadcasts. You will get all of these updates mailed to you.
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That's good to know!  If I figure out how to do it I'll post...

I just hope those darn cards will be available when and where we need them.

They're available now!  Got a look at 'em in the baitshop today.  Would've picked one up but I didn't have my fishing license with me.  Don't forget your license when you go get yours!

You woulda thunk they woulda haddam at the Show

The "tags" included with the report card are just three perforated strips at the bottom of the card.  Other than, "attach tag to fish", there are no instructions on how to correctly tag the fish. 
Has anyone seen more specific info anywhere?  I've been thinking either zip ties or nails might do the trick.

That boat limit rule will hurt the CPFVs, who want to catch a fish, then sit on their hands for the rest of the day on the party boat?

I'd prefer if they kept the rules more straightforward, creating exceptions like this for various species makes compliance harder and enforcement more complex as well.  Is a guy fishing a 'hayward striper rig' with a herring in suisun bay fishing for stripers or sturgeon?  It's a judgement call on the warden and the regs should be clear enough that theres right and wrong not shades of grey that depend on the enforcement agent's mood and temperment.

I went to the Salmon meeting here in Eureka last night. Looks like good news for the 07 season. It also confirmed that Humboldt is the top Salmon fishery in the state. We got that whole Klamath management zone thing to deal with but as far as fisherman on boats Humboldt averages 1.27 fish per angler per fishing day. Very interesting stuff.

I just left SoCal for a quieter life up here. I thinks Jims the one who would like to relocate. La jolla is beautiful but we still got better fishing and scenic coastlines.

Got my sturgeon repert card at Big 5.
They never even heard of it but it was in with all the other cards ( Ab, salmon ).