An anadromous fish spawns in freshwater, migrates to the ocean to mature, then returns to freshwater to spawn and complete its lifecycle.

In California, anadromous fish include salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, striped bass, American shad, stickleback and Pacific Lamprey.

CDFW Regions

1 - Northern Region

Serving Del Norte, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties

2 - North Central Region

Serving Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento*, San Joaquin*, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo* and Yuba counties

*Note: These counties are split between regions.
See detailed map.

3 - Bay Delta Region

Serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sacramento*, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Joaquin*, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo* counties

*Note: These counties are split between regions.
See detailed map.

4 - Central Region

Serving Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties

5 - South Coast Region

Serving Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties

6 - Inland Deserts Region

Serving Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Riverside and San Bernardino counties

7 - Marine Region

Serving the entire California coastline from border to border and three nautical miles out to sea

Printable Region Map (PDF)