On April 8th, we shared a story about the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) holding an emergency meeting to discuss giving the CDFW director the power to “delay, suspend, or restrict recreational fishing.” They held the meeting online and invited Californians to tune in and voice their opinions regarding the possibility of closing the state’s freshwater fisheries…and man, did they show up.
“Make fishing great again!”, “Fascists!”, “I have the right to speak!” were all shouted during the online video conference by angry constituents.
So many opinionated anglers tuned in that the board was unable to get enough members on the call to form a quorum, prompting the board to cancel the meeting.
“You cancel, we’re just coming back,” one call participant said.
“We also want to make it crystal clear that today’s proposed decision was not about banning fishing statewide or locally,” Bonham and Commission President Eric Sklar said in a statement after the meeting. “We are not contemplating statewide closure.”
For more on the story, check out this article from The LA Times.
California DFW Holding Emergency Meeting to Discuss Suspending Recreational Fishing During COVID-19
Dillingham, Alaska Asks State to Consider Closing Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery
Update: Washington State Closes Recreational Fishing Statewide Until May 4th
