California Department of Fish and Wildlife

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Managing California's diverse fish, wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend. Please be aware that CDFW may change this policy at any time.

Facebook Acceptable Use Policy

This user policy is in addition to any user policy or terms and conditions imposed by the Facebook host. As a user of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) pages you may express your views, comments, ideas, insights, and criticisms about CDFW. At the same time, you should show courtesy and respect to others and must not use the wall to abus

e others, expose others to offensive or inappropriate content, or for any unlawful purpose. When using the Facebook wall, please ensure that you:

· do protect your personal privacy and that of others by not including personal information of either yourself or of others in your posts to the wall (for example, names, email addresses, private addresses or phone numbers);

· do represent your own views and not impersonate or falsely represent any other person;

· do not be abusive, harass or threaten others;

· do not make defamatory or libelous comments;

· do not use insulting, provocative or hateful language;

· do not use obscene or offensive language;

· do not post material to the wall that infringes the intellectual property rights of others;

· do not post multiple versions of the same view to the wall or make excessive postings on a particular issue;

· do not promote commercial interests in your posts to the wall;

· do not make unproven or unsupported accusations against individuals or organizations;

· do not encourage conduct that may or would constitute a criminal offense or give rise to civil liability, or that otherwise violates any local, state, national or international law or regulation.

· do not incite hatred on the basis of any personal characteristic, including on the basis of race, gender, marital or domestic status, disability, sexuality or age;

· do not identify matters that are currently the subject of legal proceedings or would break a court's non-publication order; and

· do not make comments that are irrelevant to the topic being discussed on a particular thread. CDFW reserves the right to enforce this Acceptable Use Policy at its discretion. CDFW may remove any posted messages that it considers to be in breach of this policy. CDFW may also block or delete you as a user if it considers your posts to be in violation of this policy.

CDFW wildlife officers in San Luis Obispo County received multiple reports of nighttime poaching activity. In response, ...
08/03/2026

CDFW wildlife officers in San Luis Obispo County received multiple reports of nighttime poaching activity. In response, CDFW partnered with CAL FIRE Law Enforcement and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department to conduct coordinated nighttime patrols throughout the county.

To help locate illegal poaching activity, CDFW also deployed one of our aircraft equipped with nighttime cameras and other advanced technology. During a recent operation, officers saw suspects shining bright spotlights into fields where wild pigs are commonly found.

Poachers will use this tactic to locate and kill wildlife during nighttime hours. Not only is this highly unethical, it is also illegal. Sheriff deputies and wildlife officers coordinated their efforts and were able to locate the suspects. CDFW’s aircraft maintained overhead surveillance and captured video of the illegal activities. As officers were approaching, the aircraft captured video of one of the suspects attempting to discard evidence by throwing a rifle off an embankment.

Officers ultimately found the three suspects in possession of night vision equipment, spotlights and weapons while attempting to take wildlife at night. CAL FIRE Law Enforcement later recovered the .25 caliber air rifle that had been discarded by one of the suspects. The individuals were arrested and released with citations for several hunting-related violations, including spotlighting, hunting after hours, hunting without licenses and possession of night vision equipment while hunting. CDFW appreciates the teamwork and support of CAL FIRE Law Enforcement and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department in helping our wildlife officers protect California’s wildlife.

When it’s hot outside, especially in the triple-digit heat forecast for much of California in the coming days, you may f...
08/01/2026

When it’s hot outside, especially in the triple-digit heat forecast for much of California in the coming days, you may feel compelled to provide water for wildlife. But this is not in the best interest of our wildlife.

Feeding or providing water for wildlife can bring animals into areas and contact that they would not otherwise seek out. This increases the likelihood of a wild animal being killed or injured as a result of a vehicle strike or other conflict with humans. It also can increase the potential for transmitting disease between not only wild animals but also between wild and domestic animals that would not otherwise come into contact with each other. Wildlife can also transmit diseases or parasites to people and pets.

During a heatwave, naturally occurring water resources remain and wild animals know how to find them.

Heads up, California! A heatwave is expected across the state this weekend. If you’re heading outdoors, a few steps can ...
07/31/2026

Heads up, California! A heatwave is expected across the state this weekend. If you’re heading outdoors, a few steps can help keep your adventures safe and enjoyable.
- Avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day
- Start hydrating early, before you’re thirsty
- Wear light-colored clothing, including lightweight, wide-brimmed hats
- Know the signs of heat illness and get help if needed

Due to the detection of dangerous levels of domoic acid in razor clams in Del Norte County, CDFW has closed the recreati...
07/31/2026

Due to the detection of dangerous levels of domoic acid in razor clams in Del Norte County, CDFW has closed the recreational razor clam fishery in that county until further notice. Domoic acid exposure poses significant threats to human health.

Elevated levels of domoic acid closed the commercial anchovy and Pacific sardine fishery in Monterey Bay in late June, but recent sampling has showed there is no longer a health risk for human consumption of these seafood products; that fishery has been reopened.

Read more in the press release: https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/del-norte-county-razor-clam-fishery-closes-due-to-public-health-hazard-monterey-bay-anchovy-and-sardine-restrictions-lifted-as-health-concern-alleviated

Good news for duck hunters and other waterfowl fans. CDFW's annual waterfowl breeding population survey found California...
07/31/2026

Good news for duck hunters and other waterfowl fans. CDFW's annual waterfowl breeding population survey found California mallard numbers holding steady compared to last year (down 1%), but those breeding pairs will find favorable nesting and brood-rearing conditions in 2026. Green-winged teal numbers were up a whopping 646% and the "King of Ducks" -- aka the canvasback -- saw a 668% increase compared to CDFW's 2025 survey. News release: https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/cdfw-completes-2026-waterfowl-breeding-population-survey

Part of wolf recovery requires careful management. CDFW scientists monitor wolf activity, verify pack locations, investi...
07/30/2026

Part of wolf recovery requires careful management. CDFW scientists monitor wolf activity, verify pack locations, investigate reports of wolf attacks on livestock and work closely with local communities to balance conservation with livestock conflict mitigation.

Learn more: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf

07/29/2026

To support diverse fishing opportunities across CDFW’s North Central Region, the department’s American River Trout Hatchery and Sierra fisheries team have recently planted trout into various high elevation lakes, such as Cody Lake in El Dorado County, by foot. Hiking these trails – often steep and repeated multiple times during a single trip – can be challenging, but the effort is well worth it. Resources for stocking are currently limited, yet the North Central Region hatchery and fisheries teams are meeting this challenge with dedicated staff who grow and rear fish under increasingly difficult circumstances, and hike fish into backcountry locations to provide opportunities for anglers seeking wilderness and solitude. To learn more about CDFW hatcheries, visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hatcheries.

07/29/2026

It’s Shark Week! During Shark Week, let’s take a moment to better understand why white sharks — especially juveniles — are being seen more often off the California coast this year.

Due to the warmer ocean temperatures that come with an El Niño climate pattern, the usual range of white sharks, as well as many other ocean species, expands northward. While more white sharks are expected along California’s coastline this year, CDFW data from past El Niño years shows that an increase in white shark presence has not led to an increase in shark-related incidents, including injuries.

White sharks are partially warm-blooded, which allows them a greater range and the ability to maintain body temperature in cooler waters. However, in younger sharks, this ability to regulate body temperature is not as pronounced due to the ratio between their surface area and their body mass, so they tend to stay in warmer waters, like those found nearshore. Another factor at play is the availability of their prey sources. Juvenile white sharks feed on stingrays and other small fish that frequent the shallow, warm, sandy nearshore areas, so this, coupled with their own temperature preferences, makes these areas ideal.

Incidents involving a shark biting a person are very rare in California and in most cases not believed to be predatory attempts, but rather the result of exploratory bites from sharks investigating unusual objects in their environment, such as kayaks, or the result of a shark mistaking a person for their usual prey.

Since 1950, CDFW has documented only 236 interactions between sharks and people off the California coast. Compare that to the over 120 million estimated beach visits in the state each year.

White sharks are an important part of California’s ocean ecosystem. We share our coastal waters with these amazing ocean predators that are among the least understood of our ocean creatures and often mischaracterized in movies and on TV. The return of white sharks to our coastline in greater numbers is an indication of how healthy California’s marine resources are.

In this video we see California State University Long Beach researchers working to tag a juvenile white shark off the coast in Southern California. Video courtesy of Chris Lowe/CSU Long Beach

07/29/2026

Living near wildlife or visiting areas close to wildlife habitat means sharing the landscape responsibly.

The bear in this video had become food-conditioned after gaining access to human food sources. CDFW recently captured this injured young black bear before treating it and releasing it back in Mammoth Lakes.

You can help keep bears wild by securing garbage, removing fallen fruit, bringing pet food indoors, cleaning grills after use, sealing potential den sites around your home and never feeding or approaching wildlife.

Small actions make a big difference. When bears don't have access to human food, they're less likely to become habituated to people and more likely to remain healthy, wild animals. The more habituated a bear becomes, the more likely it will be involved in conflict, become an issue of public safety and pass down unhealthy behaviors to future generations of bears.

Living near wildlife is a shared responsibility. Together, we can help protect both people and bears.

Thanks to Jen Walsh of Placer County for sharing this photo of her unexpected encounter with a northern pygmy owl (Glauc...
07/29/2026

Thanks to Jen Walsh of Placer County for sharing this photo of her unexpected encounter with a northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium californicum) while hiking with her husband and a friend in the Tahoe National Forest earlier this month. The group was just getting started along the Loch Levin Trail when they spotted the small bird buried within heavy brush on the ground. Thinking it was an entangled baby bird of some kind, Jen had just started to part the brush when the small owl flapped up and flew away.

CDFW avian specialist Krysta Rogers says the owl appears to be a fledgling – a young bird recently out of the nest. It’s not uncommon, Rogers says, for young raptors to spend time on the ground or among low branches while they build up the strength to fly. Northern pygmy owls are native to western North America and the Sierra Nevada mountains though encounters with people are rare, making them a prized find for birders. About the same size as an American robin, the tiny owls are nonetheless fierce predators of small rodents, birds, insects and reptiles. Unlike most owls, northern pygmy owls are most active during the day. Their adult plumage features large black eye spots on the back of the neck, which are thought to discourage any other predators from initiating a surprise attack.

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