Fish and Wildlife Extends Scoping Comment Period on Ballona Wetlands

Media Contact:
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 654-9937, jordan.traverso@wildlife.ca.gov

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has extended the scoping comment period for the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project from March 1 to March 16. CDFW extended the period in response to many public requests.

For more information about the project, please go to http://santamonicabay.org/ballonarestoration.html.

Evaluation of Petition to List White Shark as Listed Species Available

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released a staff evaluation of a petition to list the Northeast Pacific population of white sharks as a threatened or endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

The evaluation document is available at http://dfg.ca.gov/news/pubnotice/.

In completing the petition evaluation, CDFW determined there is sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petition action may be warranted, and recommends the petition be accepted and considered by the California Fish and Game Commission.

At its next meeting, the Commission may take action on whether or not to accept the petition and declare the white shark as a candidate for future threatened or endangered species status. If the petition is accepted, this will start a one-year status review before decision on listing is made. The Commission meeting will be held on Feb. 6, 2013, in the Natural Resources Building, First Floor Auditorium, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento.

Please check the Commission website www.fgc.ca.gov for more information.

 

Media Contacts:
Adrianna Shea, CA Fish and Game Commission, (916) 508-5262
Mike Taugher, CDFW Communications Director, (916) 591-0140

DFG Announces Public Comment Period for Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program

Public Contacts:
Christy Juhasz, DFG Marine Region, (707) 576-2887
Peter Kalvass, DFG Marine Region, (707) 964-9080

Media Contact:
Carrie Wilson, DFG Marine Region, (831) 649-7191　

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has released an Initial Study and proposed Negative Declaration for the Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program as required by Fish and Game Code (FGC) Section 8276.5.

Dungeness Crab

The documents will be available for public comment and review through Sept. 10, 2012.

The project under review is DFG’s proposed regulations to implement the Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program prior to the 2013-14 commercial Dungeness crab season.

Under statute, the Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program must cap the number of crab traps in state waters at a number that is not yet known, but will be fewer than 175,000. To do so, the department is implementing new procedures that include assigning permit holders to one of seven tiers that will allow them to fish between 175 and 500 traps.

The initial study analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed regulations, which describe how to apply for and use trap tags and buoy tags. The proposed regulations also describe procedures for how new biennial permits can be purchased and replaced if lost.

To obtain the materials, contact Christy Juhasz at DFG’s Santa Rosa office: (707) 576-2887 or cjuhasz@dfg.ca.gov. More information and online versions of the documents can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/traplimit_nd.asp.

All comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2012 and must include the commenter’s name, address and daytime telephone number. Comments may be submitted by mail to:

Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program CEQA
Department of Fish and Game
5355 Skylane Blvd., Suite B
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Additionally, comments may be submitted via e-mail (in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format only) to cjuhasz@dfg.ca.gov. If e-mailed, comments must include “Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program CEQA Comments” in the subject line.