California regulators have again convened an online public meeting to discuss a potential limited ban on freshwater fishing during the coronavirus pandemic after last week's teleconference was canceled when it became overwhelmed by hundreds of callers.
The state Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday is considering emergency closures of some California rivers, streams and lakes at the request of local officials concerned that visiting anglers might spread the virus.
Rumors circulated last week on social media that the commission was considering shutting down all freshwater fishing in California. That led to a crush of people trying to join the April 9 meeting, with some of those who called in branding officials as “fascists” and shouting obscenities.
RELATED: Angry California Anglers Disrupt Sport Fishing Meeting
Commission President Eric Sklar and Department of Fish and Wildlife director Charlton Bonham kicked off Wednesday's meeting by reiterating that officials are not contemplating total bans.
“Neither the Department of Fish and Wildlife nor the Fish and Game Commission has proposed a statewide closure of statewide fishing. Neither intends to do so,” Bonham said.
The proposal would help prepare officials to meet requests from counties and tribes who have health and safety concerns, he said.
Regulators were crafting a “narrow, surgical and tailored” response to requests from rural officials, Sklar said, and any local restrictions would expire May 31.
Commissioners said they hoped to reschedule the meeting with an upgraded system that would allow them to effectively moderate public comments. The second meeting was briefly delayed by technical problems before proceeding as planned.
The emergency process began after the rural eastern counties of Alpine, Inyo and Mono urged fisheries regulators to postpone the upcoming spring trout season to keep out-of-towners from arriving and spreading COVID-19 to residents. Opening day is celebrated among anglers as “fishmas” and draws thousands of people to the eastern Sierra.
About 1 million licensed anglers regularly fish California’s waterways through the year, making it one of the most active U.S. fishing states.
