At the California Fish and Game Commission’s Wednesday, Aug. 18 meeting, commissioners discussed and acted on several issues affecting California’s natural resources. Following are highlights from a few of those topics.

The Commission took the first step to reestablishing an experimental fishing permit program that has been halted since 2019 due to a change in law. Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize publication of a notice of intent to establish the Marine Fisheries Experimental Fishing Permit Program. Scheduled for discussion at its October meeting and possible adoption at its December meeting, the program will give the Commission the ability to approve permits for research, education, data collection, compensation fishing, conservation engineering, and exploratory fishing.

As part of an ongoing integrated effort, Commissioners collaborated with Commission staff, California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff and members of the public to further develop a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) vision statement as part of the ongoing commitment to promote JEDI principals.

The Commission added to its Tribal Committee work plan a project to explore an inclusive definition of subsistence hunting and fishing practices. This action is to acknowledge tribal relationships with natural resources more fully and to identify opportunities for California state law and regulations to support tribal cultural practices and access to resources.

The Commission voted unanimously to ratify findings supporting its recent decision to change the listing status of Clara Hunt’s milkvetch (Astragalus claranus) from threatened to endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Commission also received the one-year status report on the petition to list Pacific leatherback sea turtle as an endangered species under CESA and scheduled presentations and a potential decision for the Commission’s October meeting.

The full Commission — President Peter Silva, Vice President Samantha Murray, and commissioners Jacque Hostler-Carmesin, Eric Sklar and Erika Zavaleta — was present.

The agenda for this meeting along with supporting information is available at fgc.ca.gov. The next meeting of the full Commission is tentatively scheduled as an in-person and virtual meeting for Oct. 13-14, 2021, in Sacramento.