Posted on September 29, 2025
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has cited five individuals in Siskiyou County for illegally using suction dredge equipment in state waterways, a practice banned due to its harmful impacts on native fish and wildlife.
On August 20, 2024, wardens discovered a man actively dredging the Salmon River near Cecilville in search of gold. He was cited in the field and his equipment seized. Although the case was initially dismissed due to a clerical error, prosecutors have since refiled charges, with arraignment set for October 7, 2025, in Siskiyou County.
Since July, four others have been cited for unlawful dredging on the Klamath River and Elk Creek. Arraignment dates for those cases are pending.
Suction dredging has been prohibited in California since 2016, when state law defined it as the use of a motorized system to recover minerals from riverbeds. Studies show the practice can increase turbidity, cause erosion, release contaminants, alter river channels, and create conditions that benefit invasive species like signal crayfish—all at the expense of native fish and habitat.
While suction dredging is banned, recreational gold panning and other non-motorized methods remain legal. CDFW encourages would-be miners to pursue these traditional practices without harming the environment.
Violations of the suction dredging ban can result in citations, prosecution, and the seizure of equipment.
