7055-7059
FISH AND GAME CODE
SECTION 7055-7059
7055. The Legislature finds and declares that it is the policy of the state that: (a) California's marine sport and commercial fisheries, and the resources upon which they depend, are important to the people of the state and, to the extent practicable, shall be managed in accordance with the policies and other requirements of this part in order to assure the long-term economic, recreational, ecological, cultural, and social benefits of those fisheries and the marine habitats on which they depend. (b) Programs for the conservation and management of the marine fishery resources of California shall be established and administered to prevent overfishing, to rebuild depressed stocks, to ensure conservation, to facilitate long-term protection and, where feasible, restoration of marine fishery habitats, and to achieve the sustainable use of the state's fishery resources. (c) Where a species is the object of sportfishing, a sufficient resource shall be maintained to support a reasonable sport use, taking into consideration the necessity of regulating individual sport fishery bag limits to the quantity that is sufficient to provide a satisfying sport. (d) The growth of commercial fisheries, including distant-water fisheries, shall be encouraged. 7056. In order to achieve the primary fishery management goal of sustainability, every sport and commercial marine fishery under the jurisdiction of the state shall be managed under a system whose objectives include all of the following: (a) The fishery is conducted sustainably so that long-term health of the resource is not sacrificed in favor of short-term benefits. In the case of a fishery managed on the basis of maximum sustainable yield, management shall have optimum yield as its objective. (b) The health of marine fishery habitat is maintained and, to the extent feasible, habitat is restored, and where appropriate, habitat is enhanced. (c) Depressed fisheries are rebuilt to the highest sustainable yields consistent with environmental and habitat conditions. (d) The fishery limits bycatch to acceptable types and amounts, as determined for each fishery. (e) The fishery management system allows fishery participants to propose methods to prevent or reduce excess effort in marine fisheries. (f) Management of a species that is the target of both sport and commercial fisheries or of a fishery that employs different gears is closely coordinated. (g) Fishery management decisions are adaptive and are based on the best available scientific information and other relevant information that the commission or department possesses or receives, and the commission and department have available to them essential fishery information on which to base their decisions. (h) The management decisionmaking process is open and seeks the advice and assistance of interested parties so as to consider relevant information, including local knowledge. (i) The fishery management system observes the long-term interests of people dependent on fishing for food, livelihood, or recreation. (j) The adverse impacts of fishery management on small-scale fisheries, coastal communities, and local economies are minimized. (k) Collaborative and cooperative approaches to management, involving fishery participants, marine scientists, and other interested parties are strongly encouraged, and appropriate mechanisms are in place to resolve disputes such as access, allocation, and gear conflicts. (l) The management system is proactive and responds quickly to changing environmental conditions and market or other socioeconomic factors and to the concerns of fishery participants. (m) The management system is periodically reviewed for effectiveness in achieving sustainability goals and for fairness and reasonableness in its interaction with people affected by management. 7058. Any fishery management regulation adopted by the commission shall, to the extent practicable, conform to the policies of Sections 7055 and 7056. 7059. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Successful marine life and fishery management is a collaborative process that requires a high degree of ongoing communication and participation of all those involved in the management process, particularly the commission, the department, and those who represent the people and resources that will be most affected by fishery management decisions, especially fishery participants and other interested parties. (2) In order to maximize the marine science expertise applied to the complex issues of marine life and fishery management, the commission and the department are encouraged to continue to, and to find creative new ways to, contract with or otherwise effectively involve Sea Grant staff, marine scientists, economists, collaborative factfinding process and dispute resolution specialists, and others with the necessary expertise at colleges, universities, private institutions, and other agencies. (3) The benefits of the collaborative process required by this section apply to most marine life and fishery management activities including, but not limited to, the development and implementation of research plans, marine managed area plans, fishery management plans, and plan amendments, and the preparation of fishery status reports such as those required by Section 7065. (4) Because California is a large state with a long coast, and because travel is time consuming and costly, the involvement of interested parties shall be facilitated, to the extent practicable, by conducting meetings and discussions in the areas of the coast and in ports where those most affected are concentrated. (b) In order to fulfill the intent of subdivision (a), the commission and the department shall do all of the following: (1) Periodically review marine life and fishery management operations with a view to improving communication, collaboration, and dispute resolution, seeking advice from interested parties as part of the review. (2) Develop a process for the involvement of interested parties and for factfinding and dispute resolution processes appropriate to each element in the marine life and fishery management process. Models to consider include, but are not limited to, the take reduction teams authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1361 et seq.) and the processes that led to improved management in the California herring, sea urchin, prawn, angel shark, and white seabass fisheries. (3) Consider the appropriateness of various forms of fisheries comanagement, which involves close cooperation between the department and fishery participants, when developing and implementing fishery management plans. (4) When involving fishery participants in the management process, give particular consideration to the gear used, involvement of sport or commercial sectors or both sectors, and the areas of the coast where the fishery is conducted in order to ensure adequate involvement.