Department of Fish and Wildlife Partnering with the International Sportsmen’s Exposition

Media Contacts:
Mark Michilizzi, Law Enforcement Division, (916) 651-2084
Carrie Wilson, Office of Communications, (831) 649-7191

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will participate in the annual International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) at Cal Expo in Sacramento from Jan. 10-13. The event is the largest outdoor sportsmen’s show of its kind in northern California.

Fisheries and wildlife scientists and game wardens will be available throughout the show to answer questions from the public and provide information regarding fishing and hunting opportunities throughout the state. A full service license booth will sell licenses, tags and report cards.

CDFW’s wildlife officer recruitment trailer will have information for anyone interested in pursing a career in fish and wildlife enforcement.

In addition, there will a free laser shot game in the trailer.

Wildlife officer K-9 detection teams will also be at the show conducting demonstrations in the Sporting Dog Arena. The demonstrations are scheduled on Jan. 10 from 12:30–1:30 p.m., Jan. 11 from 2:30–3:30 p.m. and Jan. 13 from 10:30–11:30 a.m.

California wildlife officers featured in the popular television series “Wild Justice” on the National Geographic Channel will be on hand for a presentation in the Adventure Theater Jan. 12 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Marina Delucci of Rocklin is the winner of the first CDFW and ISE youth hunter essay contest where contestants submitted an essay, 500 words or less, on what “Passing on the Tradition” means to them. Marina, an 11-year-old fourth generation waterfowl hunter, will be awarded a lifetime hunting license, a signed box set of DVDs of the second and third seasons of “Wild Justice,” and hunting gear and clothing provided courtesy of the CDFW Hunter Education program. Marina will receive her award on Saturday during the “Wild Justice” presentation.

 

Anglers and Divers Can Now Report Harvest Results Online

Anglers and divers can now go online to more easily submit their abalone, lobster, salmon, steelhead and sturgeon report cards required by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). These report cards provide important harvest data critical to helping fishery scientists better manage these fishing programs.

Reporting requirements for anglers and divers have not changed, but this online submission option makes the reporting faster and easier. By providing harvest details more quickly, fisheries managers can more promptly put the information to use.

Standard mail reporting is still available and can be done through the address printed on the report card.

To report online, just go to CDFW’s Online License Service (www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/) page and search for your profile by entering your last name, date of birth and ID Number, which can be a driver’s license number, a GO ID or other form of identification. When the system finds an exact match, it automatically logs the user on to their profile, where he or she can purchase a license or complete a harvest report card.

Confirmation numbers will be provided to those who report online, so there will be no need to mail in the report card. Write the number on the report card and retain it for 90 days for survey purposes. Once a report card has been reported, it is no longer valid.

Please note: The law requires sport fishing report cards be submitted by January 31 even if divers and angers were unsuccessful or did not fish at all. Please refer to your report card for specific reporting requirements. For additional information on harvest reporting requirements, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/harvestreporting/.

Details on specific species and reporting availability online are listed below.

Requirements for online reporting
Complete data is required and must be completed within 20 minutes to avoid a system time out.

Sport fishing report cards may be reported online only after the last day of the report card’s validity. All entries on the report card must be entered onto the electronic form, including activity where no catches were made.

Reporting Availability – You may submit your information online for items below beginning on the specified date. Only the data from 2012 report cards and beyond may be submitted online.

Dec. 1, 2012
Abalone Report Card

Jan. 1, 2013
North Coast Salmon Report Card
Spiny Lobster Report Card
Steelhead Report Card
Sturgeon Fishing Report Card

Fishing harvest and effort data is essential to help scientists better manage these fisheries, which is why anglers are required by regulation to submit sport fishing report cards in a timely manner.

Contacts:
Glenn Underwood, License Program Analyst, (916) 928-6882
Carrie Wilson, Environmental Scientist, (831) 649-7191

Newest Wild Trout Waters Located in Fresno County Wilderness Area

The South Fork San Joaquin River and Sallie Keyes Lakes in Fresno County are the latest waters to be designated as Wild Trout Water in California.

Located approximately 60 miles northeast of Fresno in the John Muir Wilderness Area, the watershed provides anglers a remote wilderness fishing opportunity with the possibility of catching brown, brook, rainbow and golden trout.

The watershed may be difficult to get to, but the scenery is breathtaking and there are opportunities to catch California golden trout, the state freshwater fish, as well as trophy-sized brown trout.

The waters were designated last month by the California Fish and Game Commission. It is the policy of the Commission to designate certain waters to be managed exclusively for wild trout. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Heritage and Wild Program (HWTP) is responsible for not only managing designated Wild Trout Waters, but also recommending new waters to the Commission each year.

Wild Trout Waters are those that support self-sustaining trout populations, are aesthetically pleasing and environmentally productive, provide adequate catch rates and are open to public angling. Wild Trout Waters may not be stocked with catchable-sized hatchery trout. The HWTP has been conducting an evaluation of the South Fork San Joaquin River watershed since 2007. The evaluation includes  snorkel surveys, angler assessments, habitat evaluations, gill net surveys and a remote infrared camera study.

The designation boundaries include the “South Fork San Joaquin River and all tributaries from Florence Lake upstream to the boundary with Kings Canyon National Park including the Piute Creek drainage (Fresno County).” In addition, “Sallie Keyes Lakes (Fresno County)” are located within this watershed and consist of two lakes situated along the Pacific Crest Trail above 10,000 feet elevation near Selden Pass.

With the inclusion of these waters into the HWTP this year, there are now 44 designated Wild Trout Waters across the state encompassing more than 1400 miles of stream habitat, 11 lakes, and 10 Heritage Trout Waters. For more information on designated waters, please visit us at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildtrout

Media Contacts:
Roger Bloom, DFG Fisheries Branch (916) 464-6355
Andrew Hughan, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8944