Tolowa Dene Nation petition seeks no-take protections for surf smelt at Pyramid Point

Dozens of local residents and tribal representatives told the Donner County Fish and Game Advisory Commission on Monday that a regulation petition before the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) seeks to stop recreational surf‑smelt take at Pyramid Point while retaining tribal exemptions.

The petition, submitted by the Tolowa Dene Nation, would remove the current regulatory allowance for surf smelt taken by dip net or a Hawaiian‑type throw net and reclassify the Pyramid Point area as a no‑take State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) while preserving tribal harvest exemptions for the Tolowa Dene Nation, Roseanne Lahuchi, Marine Division Manager and marine biologist for the Tolowa Dene Nation, told the commission. "Our petition will be to remove the allowance for surf smelts by dip net or Hawaiian type throw net and it will change into a no take SMCA, with tribal exemptions for Tolowa Dene Nation," Lahuchi said.