After a brief pandemic-triggered delay, opening dates have been set for the local recreational salmon fishing season, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Waters south of Horse Mountain will open to sport anglers May 1, with the season slated to run through Nov. 8, with a minimum size limit of 20 inches […]
Fish and Wildlife
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Dungeness Crab Season Shelved Again
Those waiting with bated breath for some locally caught crab have some more waiting to do, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon. The already delayed opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season has been pushed back to Jan. 15 after quality tests scheduled to take place this week had to be […]
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The New Zealand Invaders
About the last thing Northern California needs right now is another environmental crisis, especially one that affects the already beleaguered salmon population. Consequently, scientists were not happy to learn that New Zealand mudsnails, which have the unpleasant habit of taking out the algae at the bottom of the aquatic food chain, have invaded local waterways. […]
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The Grand Juror Who Was Banned for Life
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously in closed session June 20 to permanently ban former Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District Commissioner and current Humboldt County Civil grand juror Aaron Newman from obtaining a recreational hunting or fishing license. The commission’s action is rare. According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife […]
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UPDATE: Attempted Murder Suspect Surrenders to Police
UPDATE: Shawn Hof Jr., the 25-year-old wanted since he allegedly shot at a state law enforcement officer last August, turned himself into police yesterday, a day after multiple agencies announced a renewed effort to bring him into custody, complete with a $20,000 reward. See the full press release from the California Fish and Wildlife copied […]
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The Carrot and the Stick
By law enforcement estimates, there are about 10,000 marijuana farms in Humboldt County. About 2,300 of them have applied for the county permits needed to legitimize under local and state laws. Of those, about 400 have gone through the required permitting process by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Of those, about 200 are […]
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Wolves Incoming
Wolves are recolonizing California at a much quicker rate than anticipated, say officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A game camera recently captured pictures of a pack of gray wolves in southeastern Siskiyou County. Karen Kovacs, the wildlife program manager who has been monitoring the movement of wolves along the Oregon border […]
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Spotted Owl to Get Endangered Listing?
Well, U.S. Fish and Wildlife may have told the Humboldt marten to suck it up this week, but it looks like the service has the northern spotted owl’s back. The agency issued an initial finding — based on a three-year-old Environmental Protection Information Center petition — to reclassify the bird from a “threatened” to an […]
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The Marten’s Fine, Says the Feds
A years-long tussle to get U.S. Fish and Wildlife to recognize the plight of the Pacific marten (which includes the Humboldt marten) just ended, with the national service announcing that the furry creatures’s problems “do not rise to the level of a threat either individually or cumulatively.” The marten’s “stressors,” which Fish and Wildlife says […]
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UPDATE: Gray Wolf Listed as Endangered
Wolves are officially an endangered species in California. Natalynne DeLapp of the Environmental Protection Information Center confirmed this afternoon. That three of four California Fish and Wildlife commissioners approved the listing. “It’s a good day for wolves in California and beyond,” Delapp said. PREVIOUSLY: Close to 200 people filled the conference room of Fortuna’s Riverlodge […]
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Harbor Commissioner to Stand Trial in Poaching Case
A superior court judge ruled today that there is sufficient evidence to hold Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Commissioner Aaron Newman to stand trial on poaching and perjury charges. Newman was arrested June 8 and has pleaded not guilty to a total of eight charges in the case, which alleges that he lied […]
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North Coast Rivers Subject to Low-Flow Closures
Looking to grab your rod and pull a nice steelhead out of a North Coast River? Well, you might want to check with the Department of Fish and Game first. The state Office of Administrative Law recently approved emergency regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission that allow the department to close some […]