The opening day of trout season is usually a special annual event, drawing a sizeable number of anglers to many of the lakes and streams across our state. It’s the away-from-home traveling and the influx of visitors that has led some rural communities to ask the California Fish and Game Commission to delay the inland trout sport fishing opener from April 25, 2020, to May 31, 2020. The state is currently under a shelter-in-place order, and citizens are to stay physically separated to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
By a unanimous 5-0 vote on April 15, 2020, the commission authorized the director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Charlton “Chuck” Bonham, to close or delay fishing in “certain areas” if needed to halt the spread of the virus. Anglers are responsible for checking on the status of the fishing season in the area where they plan to fish by calling the Fishing Closure Hotline at (916) 445-7600 or via the CDFW’s website at https://wildlife. ca.gov/Regulations.
The CDFW is required “to maintain a list of affected waters and restrictions on the taking of a fish species and update the list daily by 7 p.m. The fishing status for each specific water or fish species shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day immediately following the update.”
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus and is transmitted by person-to-person contact. The California Department of Public Health has stated that maintaining physical distance of at least six feet is necessary to help prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19. A mandatory statewide stayat-home order was issued by Governor Gavin Newsom on March 19, 2020.
For its decision, the commission noted:
Travel and potential concentration of fishers at “choke points” where it may not be possible to maintain six feet of separation (e.g. launch ramps parking lots, etc.) have the potential to increase the spread of COVID-19. In addition, when traveling for a fishing trip, a fisher has the potential to travel to remote small towns, stopping at gas stations or convenience marts, tackle shops, fast food and other restaurants, marinas or boat launches, and/or hotel/motels. The travel can lead to inadvertent transmission of the virus to the local business attendants or employees.
The commission took the action on the trout fishing season opener following a three-and-a-half-hour public hearing in an April 15, 2020, telephone meeting. The previous week, a first telephone meeting was attempted, but action was prevented by shouting anglers who were concerned that the entire fishing season would be canceled. In a widely circulated memo, Bonham said that neither the department nor the commission “has proposed a statewide closure of recreational fishing. Neither intends to do so.” Some four hundred people provided comments on the proposed closure by letter, via the Internet, or at public hearings. To give an idea of the popularity of the sport, in 2019, 1.6 million anglers purchased licenses to fish the state’s waters.
In letters to the commission, the boards of supervisors for Alpine, Mono, and Inyo, counties expressed concern that the spread of the coronavirus could overwhelm their small medical facilities and asked for a delayed fishing opener and regional restrictions in the eastern Sierra. Sierra County, north of Truckee, also asked for a partial closure. To prevent anglers from congregating and spreading the virus, the CFDW also changed its policy on publicizing fish planting:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has removed the Fish Plant Schedule from our website in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 by preventing public crowding at water bodies. Fishing is still open, and CDFW will continue stocking trout at locations where social distancing by anglers and physical distancing of hatchery staff can be maintained.
The CDFW added: “We’re also very aware that some local authorities have closed access to water bodies, including parking lots and boat launches. While we realize that’s frustrating, CDFW has no authority over that.” The department also said that it is “temporarily closing its high public use areas, including visitor centers and license counters, to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Before heading to a CDFW facility, contact the regional headquarters office to determine if that facility is open.” For the latest updates, go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/regulations.
Other Restrictions and Closures
State Parks: The California Department of Parks and Recreation “is temporarily closing vehicle access at all 280 state parks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Many state parks once again experienced visitation surges that made it impossible for the public to implement appropriate social/physical distancing practices.” For updates, subscribe to California State Parks News via e-mail at https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_ id=712&p=13.
National Parks: Yosemite National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, and Lassen Volcanic National Park are closed as a result of the coronavirus. Members of Congress have called for the closure of all national parks in California during the coronavirus health emergency. For an update on closures, go to https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/alerts.htm?t=Closure&p=1&v=1.
U.S. Forest Service: Restrictions on certain areas and facilities on U.S. Forest Service lands have been in place for the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine what is closed or restricted, consult the agency’s websites. For general updates: https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/covid19-updates.
