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Department of Fish and Game News Release

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Steve Baumgartner, DFG Environmental Scientist, (530) 225-2370

Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8988

DFG Announces Public Meeting on Potential Sacramento River Sturgeon Fishery Closure

August 24, 2009 -- The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has scheduled a public meeting in Chico to review options for a potential sturgeon fishery closure on the Sacramento River. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 26, starting at 6 p.m. at the Chico Public Library, 1108 Sherman Avenue.

The closure options may limit or prohibit fishing for green sturgeon and white sturgeon from the Keswick Dam downstream to Highway 162 or nearby locations. The options under consideration range from a seasonal closure to complete closure; potential bait and gear restrictions may also be implemented.

Green sturgeon are among the largest and longest living species found in freshwater, living up to 70 years and weighing up to 350 pounds. In June 2006, the green sturgeon that live south of the Eel River in Humboldt County were formally listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Green sturgeon are often caught by anglers fishing for white sturgeon (which are not listed as threatened).

DFG encourages the public to participate by attending the August 26 meeting or by submitting written comments and related materials to:

Steve Baumgartner, Environmental Scientist
California Department of Fish and Game
601 Locust Street
Redding, CA 96001

Comments can also be submitted via email to sbaumgartner@dfg.ca.gov.

All comments must be received by November 5, 2009. Public testimony, including written comments, will be recorded and presented to the California Fish and Game Commission, which could adopt the new regulations as soon as December 2009.