The Department of Fish and Game was created in 1951 under a general reorganization Act which elevated the Division of Fish and Game to departmental status (Stats. 1951, ch. 195). The Division of Fish and Game had been created in 1927 with the formation of a Department of Natural Resources (Stats. 1927, ch. 128). The origins of California's program is considerably older, having begun in 1870 with the creation of a State Board of Fish Commissioners (Stats. 1869-70, ch. 457), later renamed as the Fish and Game Commission (Stats. 1909, ch. 238). Prior to 1927 a number of Bureaus and special programs were created which, after numerous reorganizations and name changes, were continued under the Division of Fish and Game.

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