For all the anglers out there. See report below.
Calm Seas,
Catherine French
Writer, mentor, naturalist
805.570.0432
We are given only so many days, make each one count.
Sent from my iPad Air
Begin forwarded message:
From: CDFW News <noreply+feedproxy@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: March 1, 2018 at 6:05:22 PM PST
To: cfrench1366@xxxxxxx
Subject: California Fish and Wildlife News
Reply-To: CDFW News <CDFWNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
California Fish and Wildlife News
California’s Drought, Poor Ocean Conditions Impact Salmon Forecast for 2018
Posted: 01 Mar 2018 03:15 PM PST
Commercial and sport anglers received mixed news today regarding the status
of Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook –
California’s two largest Chinook salmon populations. While adult returns of
both stocks were well below minimum escapement goals in 2017, and projected
abundance for both stocks is modest compared to historic averages, state and
federal fishery scientists reported an increase in the number of jacks
(two-year-old Chinook) that returned to spawn in 2017. Higher jack returns,
as seen in 2017, can indicate the potential for increased abundance of adult
(three years old or older) Chinook for 2018 fisheries.
Forecasts presented at today’s annual Salmon Information Meeting suggest
there are 229,400 Sacramento River fall Chinook adults in the ocean this
year, along with 359,200 Klamath River fall Chinook adults. While the
Sacramento River fall Chinook forecast is comparable to last year, there are
greater numbers of Klamath River fall Chinook projected to be in the ocean in
2018. Fall Chinook from these runs typically comprise the majority of salmon
taken in California’s ocean and inland fisheries.
The effects of the recent drought are still impacting California’s salmon
populations. Outbound juvenile Chinook suffered unusually high mortality
because of low flows and high water temperatures in both the Sacramento and
Klamath watersheds in 2014 and 2015. Unsuitable river conditions, coupled
with persistently poor ocean conditions during the same period, resulted in
very low numbers of adult Chinook returning to spawn in both the Klamath and
Sacramento River basins in 2017.
Over the next two months, the Pacific Fishery Management Council will use the
2018 fall Chinook ocean abundance forecasts, in addition to information on
the status of endangered Sacramento River winter Chinook, to set ocean sport
and commercial fishing season dates, commercial quotas and size and bag
limits.
At the same time, fishery managers with the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW) will be working to develop a suite of recommendations for the
California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) to consider on 2018 fishing
seasons, size limits and bag limits for Chinook salmon river fishing in the
Klamath/Trinity and Sacramento River basins. For more information, please
visit the FGC Sport Fishing Regulations website.
For more information on the process for setting the California ocean salmon
season or for general information about ocean salmon fishing, please visit
the Ocean Salmon Project website. For the latest ocean salmon season
regulations, please call the CDFW ocean salmon hotline at (707) 576-3429 or
the National Marine Fisheries Service salmon fishing hotline at (800)
662-9825.
For the latest inland salmon season regulations in the Klamath/Trinity basin,
call (800) 564-6479, and in the Central Valley, please visit the CDFW
Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations website.
###
Media Contacts:
Kandice Morgenstern, CDFW Marine Region, (707) 576-2879
Harry Morse, CDFW Communications, (916) 323-1478
Elusive Sierra Nevada Red Fox Captured in Tehama County
Posted: 01 Mar 2018 01:20 PM PST
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 fox was collared
and released at the capture location, and CDFW biologists have been impressed
by the distances it has regularly been covering despite rough terrain and
high elevation.
“The data gathered during the capture and from the tracking collar will
provide significant insights into the ecology of these foxes,” said CDFW
Environmental Scientist Jennifer Carlson. “We have already been surprised by
the large area the fox has been using and the distance it has traveled — it
has averaged over seven straight-line miles per day in very rugged terrain.”
While Sierra Nevada red fox historically ranged widely in the upper montane
subalpine zones of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges in California, in the
past century its abundance and distribution has declined dramatically.
A state-listed threatened species since 1980, the Sierra Nevada red fox has
been the subject of intensified study by CDFW over the past decade. The
primary objective is to capture and affix GPS tracking collars to foxes to
better understand the size and characteristics of the elusive red fox’s home
range and habitat use, its denning sites and reproductive rates, and its
health and disease ecology.
In 2008, CDFW used scat-detector dogs to survey portions of Lassen Volcanic
National Park and the adjacent Caribou Wilderness. From 2009 to 2011, CDFW
used trail cameras and hair-snaring devices to survey high-elevation habitats
in the Cascade Range from Mount Shasta to Lassen Peak. At that point, foxes
were detected solely in the Lassen Peak area, and the population is believed
to consist of only about 20 individuals. Efforts to capture and collar them
from 2013-2016 were unsuccessful, yet CDFW continued to document red foxes on
trail cameras and to collect genetic samples from their scats and hair. CDFW
hopes to capture and collar as many as four more red foxes this year.
The Sierra Nevada red fox is a distinct subspecies of red fox that occupies
high-elevation habitats in California and Oregon. Other red foxes in
California include the Sacramento Valley red fox, which occupies portions of
the Sacramento Valley, and non-native red foxes that are widespread in
low-elevation habitats.
For more information on the Sierra Nevada red fox, please visit
www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/mammals/sierra-nevada-red-fox.
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Carlson, CDFW Northern Region, (530) 225-2754
Kyle Orr, CDFW Communications, (916) 322-8958
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