NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The recommendation by the state Fish and Game Commission to close more than five miles of the Sacramento River to fishing was approved by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on Friday, April 24.

An emergency regulation closing 5.5 miles of spawning habitat above the city of Redding on the Upper Sacramento River went into effect April 27.

Enhanced protective measures were also included in the ocean sport and commercial fisheries regulations for the 2015 season.

The emergency regulation closes all fishing on the 5.5 mile stretch of the Sacramento River from the Highway 44 Bridge where it crosses the Sacramento River upstream to Keswick Dam.

The area is currently closed to salmon fishing but was open to trout fishing.

The closure will protect critical spawning habitat and eliminate any incidental stress or hooking mortality of winter-run salmon by anglers.

It is highly unusual for a state to propose even stricter guidelines on a listed species than required by the federal Endangered Species Act.

However, CDFW scientists believe the additional protection provided in the emergency river closure and additional ocean fishing restrictions will help a significant segment of the winter-run population to avoid losses.