8275-8284
FISH AND GAME CODE
SECTION 8275-8284
8275. Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, the definitions in this section govern the construction of this article. (a) "Dungeness crab" or "market crab" means crab of the species Cancer magister. (b) "Reconstruction" means major work on the hull of a vessel to make that vessel operable in the California crab fishery if that work may reasonably be expected to be of a duration that will preclude operation of that vessel in the crab fishery for the length of the crab season or longer. (c) "Rock crab" means any crab of the genus Cancer other than Dungeness crab and includes rock crab (Cancer antennarius), red crab (Cancer productus), and yellow crab (Cancer anthonyi). (d) "Under construction" means having plans and materials and proceeding with work toward the completion of an operational Dungeness crab fishing vessel. 8276. Except as provided in Section 8276.2: (a) Dungeness crab may be taken for commercial purposes in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 only between December 1 and July 15. (b) Dungeness crab may be taken for commercial purposes in all other districts only between November 15 and June 30. (c) Dungeness crab may not be taken for commercial purposes in any district, or part of a district, lying within the portions of Crescent City Harbor between the south sand barrier and the breakwater. 8276.2. (a) The director may order a delay in the opening of the Dungeness crab fishery after December 1 in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 in any year. The delay in the opening shall not be later than January 15 of any year. (b) On or about November 1 of each year, the director may authorize one or more operators of commercial fishing vessels to take and land a limited number of Dungeness crab for the purpose of quality testing according to a testing program conducted by, or on behalf of, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission or an entity approved by the department. The department shall not approve a testing program unless it is funded by the entity authorized to conduct the testing program. Crab taken pursuant to this section shall not be sold; however, any edible crabmeat recovered from the crabs tested shall not be wasted and may be used for charitable purposes. (c) The director shall order the opening of the Dungeness crab season in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 on December 1 if the quality tests authorized in subdivision (b) indicate the Dungeness crabs are not soft-shelled or low quality. The entity authorized to conduct the approved testing program may test, or cause to be tested, crabs taken for quality and soft shells pursuant to the approved testing program. If the tests are conducted on or about November 1 and result in a finding that Dungeness crabs are soft-shelled or low quality, the director shall authorize a second test to be conducted on or about November 15 pursuant to the approved testing program. If the second test results in a finding that Dungeness crabs are soft-shelled or low quality, the director may order the season opening delayed for a period of 15 days and may authorize a third test to be conducted on or about December 1. If the third test results in a finding that Dungeness crabs remain soft-shelled or of low quality, the director may order the season opening delayed for a period of an additional 15 days and authorize a fourth test to be conducted. This procedure may continue to be followed, except that no tests shall be conducted after January 1 for that season, and the season opening shall not be delayed by the director later than January 15. (d) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8276.3. (a) If there is any delay ordered by the director pursuant to Section 8276.2 in the opening of the Dungeness crab fishery in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9, a vessel may not take or land crab within Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 during any closure. (b) If there is any delay in the opening of the Dungeness crab season pursuant to Section 8276.2, the opening date in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 shall be preceded by a 36-hour gear setting period, as ordered by the director. (c) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8276.4. (a) The Ocean Protection Council shall make a grant, upon appropriation of funding by the Legislature, for the development and administration of a Dungeness crab task force. The membership of the Dungeness crab task force shall be comprised of all of the following: (1) Two members representing sport fishing interests. (2) Two members representing crab processing interests. (3) One member representing commercial passenger fishing vessel interests. (4) Two ex officio members representing nongovernmental organization interests. (5) One ex officio representative of Sea Grant. (6) Two ex officio members representing the department. (7) Seventeen members representing commercial fishery interests, elected by licensed persons possessing valid Dungeness crab permits in their respective ports and production levels, as follows: (A) Four members from Crescent City. (B) One member from Trinidad. (C) Two members from Eureka. (D) Two members from Fort Bragg. (E) Two members from Bodega Bay. (F) Two members from San Francisco. (G) Two members from Half Moon Bay. (H) One member from ports south of Half Moon Bay. (I) One member who has a valid California nonresident crab permit. (b) For ports with more than one representative, elected members and their alternates shall represent both the upper and lower, and in some cases middle, production levels. Production levels shall be based on the average landing during the previous five years, of valid crab permitholders who landed a minimum of 25,000 pounds of crab during the same period. (c) The Dungeness crab task force shall do all of the following: (1) Under the guidance of a professional facilitator hired by the Ocean Protection Council for this purpose, review and evaluate Dungeness crab management measures with the objective of making recommendations to the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, the department, and the commission no later than January 15, 2010. (2) Make recommendations, including, but not limited to, the need for a permanent Dungeness crab advisory committee, refining sport and commercial Dungeness crab management, establishing a Dungeness crab marketing commission, and the need for statutory changes to accomplish task force objectives. (3) In considering Dungeness crab management options, prioritize the review of pot limit restriction options, harvest allocation, current and future sport and commercial fishery effort, season modifications, essential fishery information needs, and short- and long-term objectives for improved management. (d) The task force may establish subcommittees of specific user groups from the task force membership to focus on issues specific to sport fishing, commercial harvest, or crab processing. The subcommittees shall report their recommendations, if any, to the task force. (e) The Ocean Protection Council may include in a grant, funding to cover department staffing costs, as well as task force participant travel. (f) A recommendation shall be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, the department, and the commission upon an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the task force members. (g) The task force shall cease to exist on January 1, 2011. (h) Eligibility to take crab in California waters and offshore for commercial purposes may be subject to restrictions, including, but not limited to, restrictions on the number of traps utilized by that person, if either of the following occurs: (1) A person holds a Dungeness crab permit with landings of less than 5,000 pounds between November 15, 2003, and July 15, 2008, inclusive. (2) A person has purchased a Dungeness crab permit on or after July 15, 2008, from a permitholder who landed less than 5,000 pounds between November 15, 2003, and July 15, 2008, inclusive. (i) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2011, and as of that date is repealed unless a later enacted statute, which is enacted before January 1, 2011, deletes or extends that date, or it is rendered inoperative by commission regulations. 8277. (a) The director may extend the Dungeness crab season in any district or part thereof. (b) Before extending the Dungeness crab season, the director shall consider written findings of the department regarding the state of the Dungeness crab resource in the district, or part thereof, which consider, but are not limited to, population and maturity. The director may extend the season only if the written findings do not conclude that the extension will damage the Dungeness crab resource. (c) The director shall not extend the Dungeness crab season past August 31 in a district, or part thereof, north of the southern boundary of Mendocino County or past July 31 in a district, or part thereof, south of Mendocino County. The director shall order closure of the season at any time during the extension period if the director determines that further fishing will damage the Dungeness crab resource. 8278. (a) Except as otherwise provided, no Dungeness crab less than six and one-quarter (6 1/4) inches in breadth, and no female Dungeness crab, may be taken, possessed, bought, or sold, except that not more than 1 percent in number of any load or lot of Dungeness crabs may be less than six and one-quarter (6 1/4) inches in breadth but not less than five and three-quarters (5 3/4) inches in breadth. (b) Dungeness crab shall be measured by the shortest distance through the body from edge of shell to edge of shell directly from front of points (lateral spines). 8279. It is unlawful to sell any Dungeness crab taken in any of the following waters: (a) The Eel River and its tributaries between the Pacific Ocean and the west line of Sec. 35, T. 3 N., R. 1 W., H. B. & M. (b) The Pacific Ocean within a radius of one mile from the mouth of the Eel River. (c) Humboldt Bay, including the entrance of that bay, and the Pacific Ocean within a radius of one mile from the extreme western point of the north jetty at the entrance of the bay and for a radius of one mile from the extreme western point of the south jetty at the entrance of the bay. (d) Trinidad Bay, that bay being the body of water within the area inclosed by a line running southeasterly from the westernmost point of Trinidad Head to the mouth of Luftenholtz Creek. (e) Bodega Lagoon. 8279.1. (a) No person shall take, possess onboard, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from any vessel in ocean waters in District 6, 7, 8, or 9 for 30 days after the opening of the Dungeness crab fishing season in California, if both of the following events have occurred: (1) The opening of the season has been delayed pursuant to state law in California. (2) The person has taken, possessed onboard, or landed Dungeness crab for commercial purposes, from ocean waters outside of District 6, 7, 8, or 9, prior to the opening of the season in those districts. (b) No person shall take, possess onboard, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from any vessel in ocean waters south of the border between Oregon and California for 30 days after the opening of the Dungeness crab fishing season in California, if both of the following events have occurred: (1) The opening of the season has been delayed pursuant to state law in California. (2) The person has taken, possessed onboard, or landed Dungeness crab for commercial purposes in Oregon or Washington prior to the opening of the season in California. (c) No person shall take, possess onboard, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from any vessel in ocean waters north of the border between Oregon and California for 30 days after the opening of the Dungeness crab fishing season in Oregon or Washington, if both of the following events have occurred: (1) The opening of the season has been delayed in Oregon or Washington. (2) The person has taken, possessed onboard, or landed Dungeness crab for commercial purposes in California prior to the opening of the season in ocean waters off Oregon or Washington. (d) No person shall take, possess onboard, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from any vessel in ocean waters off Washington, Oregon, or California for 30 days after the opening of the Dungeness crab fishing season in California, Oregon, or Washington, if both of the following events have occurred: (1) The opening of the season has been delayed in Washington, Oregon, or California. (2) The person has taken, possessed onboard, or landed Dungeness crab for commercial purposes in either of the two other states prior to the delayed opening in the ocean waters off any one of the three states. (e) A violation of this section shall not constitute a misdemeanor. Pursuant to Section 7857, the commission shall revoke the Dungeness crab vessel permit held by any person who violates this section. (f) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the Dungeness crab fishery is important to the state because it provides a valuable food product, employment for those persons engaged in the fishery, and economic benefits to the coastal communities of the state. (b) The Legislature further finds that, in order to protect the Dungeness crab fishery, it is necessary to limit the number of vessels participating in that fishery to take Dungeness crab and it may be necessary to limit the quantity and capacity of the fishing gear used on each vessel to take Dungeness crab. (c) The Legislature further finds and declares that to limit the number of vessels in the Dungeness crab fishery, it is necessary to require that the owner of each vessel participating in the fishery obtain and possess a permit for that vessel and that the initial issuance of permits shall be limited to those persons owning vessels qualifying under Section 8280.1. 8280.1. (a) No person shall use a vessel to take, possess, or land Dungeness crab for commercial purposes using Dungeness crab traps authorized pursuant to Section 9011, unless the owner of that vessel has a Dungeness crab vessel permit for that vessel that has not been suspended or revoked. This section does not apply to a commercially registered fishing vessel when it is being used solely to assist a permitted vessel transport or set traps. (b) A Dungeness crab vessel permit may be issued only to the following persons for use on qualifying vessels: (1) A person, who has a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 or Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030) of Chapter 1 that has not been suspended or revoked, who is the owner of a commercial fishing vessel that has been registered with the department pursuant to Section 7881 in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years and a minimum of four landings in each of three Dungeness crab seasons in the period from November 1, 1984, to April 1, 1994, have been made from that vessel. This paragraph includes any person purchasing a vessel qualifying pursuant to this paragraph. (2) A person who has a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 or Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030) of Chapter 1 that has not been suspended or revoked, who is the owner of a commercial fishing vessel that has been registered with the department pursuant to Section 7881 in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years and a minimum of four landings in one of the Dungeness crab seasons in the period from November 1, 1984, to April 1, 1994, have been made from that vessel in this state as documented by landing receipts delivered to the department pursuant to Section 8046, who the department finds to have been unable, due to illness or injury or any other hardship, to make a minimum of four landings in each of two of the previous three Dungeness crab seasons, and who, in good faith, intended to participate in the Dungeness crab fishery in those seasons. (3) A person who has a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 that has not been suspended or revoked, who meets the requirements of Section 8101, and who, notwithstanding Section 8101, is, at the time of application, the owner of a fishing vessel that is not equipped for trawling with a net and that has been registered pursuant to Section 7881 in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years. Not more than one Dungeness crab vessel permit shall be issued to any person qualifying under Section 8101 and all permits issued under Section 8101 shall, notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 8280.3, be nontransferable. A person qualifying for a permit under this paragraph shall have participated in the Dungeness crab fishery on or before March 31, 1994, as documented by landing receipts that were prepared in that person's name for not less than four landings of Dungeness crab taken in a crab trap in a Dungeness crab season and were delivered to the department pursuant to Section 8046. No person shall be issued a permit under this paragraph if that person has been issued a permit under any other provision of this section for another vessel. For purposes of Section 8101, "participated in the fishery" means made not less than four landings of Dungeness crab taken by traps in that person's name in one Dungeness crab season. The department shall separately identify permits issued pursuant to this paragraph and those permits shall become immediately null and void upon the death of the permittee. The department shall not issue or renew any permit under this paragraph to a person if the person failed to meet the participation requirements of four landings in one season prior to April 1, 1994, or has been issued a Dungeness crab permit for a vessel under any other paragraph of this subdivision. (4) A person who has a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 that has not been suspended or revoked, who meets one of the following conditions: (A) The person held a Dungeness crab permit issued pursuant to Section 8280 as it read on April 1, 1994, and participated in the Dungeness crab fishery between November 1, 1984, and April 1, 1994, and is the owner of a vessel that has been registered with the department in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years but did not make landings or the department records do not indicate a minimum of four landings per season for three Dungeness crab seasons from that vessel or in that person's name because of a partnership or other working arrangement where the person was working aboard another vessel engaged in the Dungeness crab fishery in California. (B) The person held a Dungeness crab permit issued under Section 8280 as it read on April 1, 1994, and is the owner of a commercial fishing vessel that has been registered with the department pursuant to Section 7881 in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years and from which a minimum of four landings utilizing traps were made in at least one Dungeness crab season in the period between November 1, 1984, and April 1, 1994, and from which either four landings were made utilizing traps or landings in excess of 10,000 pounds were made utilizing traps in each of two other Dungeness crab seasons in that same period, as documented by landing receipts. (C) The person held a Dungeness crab vessel permit issued under Section 8280 as it read on April 1, 1994, or was an officer in a California corporation that was licensed pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030) of Chapter 1 as of April 1, 1994, and began construction or reconstruction of a vessel on or before January 1, 1992, for the purpose of engaging in the Dungeness crab fishery, including the purchase of equipment and gear to engage in that fishery in California. A person may be issued a permit under this condition only if the person intended in good faith to participate in the California Dungeness crab fishery, a denial of a permit would create a financial hardship on that person, and, for purposes of determining financial hardship, the applicant is a nonresident and cannot participate with his or her vessel or vessels in the Dungeness crab fishery of another state because of that state's limited entry or moratorium on the issuance of permits for the taking of Dungeness crab. (5) A person who has a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 that has not been suspended or revoked, who held a Dungeness crab permit issued under Section 8280 as it read on April 1, 1994, who made a minimum of four landings of Dungeness crab taken by traps in each of three Dungeness crab seasons in the period from November 1, 1984, to April 1, 1994, in his or her name in this state from a vessel owned by that person, as documented by landing receipts, who, between April 1, 1991, and January 1, 1995, purchased, contracted to purchase, or constructed a vessel, not otherwise qualifying pursuant to paragraph (1), (2), or (4), who has continuously owned that vessel since its purchase or construction, and who either (A) has used that vessel for the taking of Dungeness crab in this state on or before March 31, 1995, as documented by one or more landing receipts delivered to the department pursuant to Section 8046, or (B) intended in good faith, based on evidence that the department and the review panel may require, including investment in crab gear, to enter that vessel in this state's Dungeness crab fishery not later than December 1, 1995. Not more than one permit may be issued to any one person under this paragraph. (6) A person who held a Dungeness crab permit issued under Section 8280 as it read on April 1, 1994, who made a minimum of four landings utilizing traps in this state in each of three Dungeness crab seasons in the period between November 1, 1984, and April 1, 1994, in his or her name from a vessel operated by that person as documented by landing receipts, who currently does not own a vessel in his or her name, and who has not sold or transferred a vessel otherwise qualifying for a permit under this section. A permit may be issued under this paragraph for a vessel not greater in size than the vessel from which the previous landings were made, and, in no event, for a vessel of more than 60 feet in overall length, to be placed on a vessel that the person purchases or contracts for construction on or before April 1, 1996. A permit issued under this paragraph shall be nontransferable and shall not be used for a vessel not owned by that person, and shall be revoked if the person (A) fails to renew the permit or annually renew his or her commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 or (B) is or becomes the owner of another vessel permitted to operate in the Dungeness crab fishery pursuant to this section. (c) The department may require affidavits offered under penalty of perjury from persons applying for permits under subdivision (b) or from witnesses corroborating the statements of a person applying for a Dungeness crab vessel permit. Affidavits offered under penalty of perjury shall be required of an applicant if the department cannot locate records required to qualify under subdivision (b). (d) No person shall be issued a Dungeness crab vessel permit under this section for any vessel unless that person has a valid commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 that has not been suspended or revoked. (e) Notwithstanding Section 7852.2 or subdivision (e) of Section 8280.2, the department may issue a Dungeness crab vessel permit that has not been applied for by the application deadline if the department finds that the failure to apply was a result of a mistake or hardship, as established by evidence the department may require, the late application is made not later than October 15, 1995, and payment is made by the applicant of a late fee of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) in addition to all other fees for the permit. (f) The department may waive the requirement that a person own a commercial fishing vessel that has been registered with the department pursuant to Section 7881 in each of the 1991-92, 1992-93, and 1993-94 permit years for one of those required years under this section only if the vessel was registered and used in the California Dungeness crab fishery during the registration year immediately prior to the year for which the waiver is sought and was registered and used in the California Dungeness crab fishery after the year for which the waiver is sought and if the reason for the failure to register in the year for which the waiver is sought was due to a death, illness, or injury, or other hardship, as determined by the review panel, that prevented the vessel from being registered and operated in the fishery for that registration year. (g) If any person submits false information for the purposes of obtaining a Dungeness crab vessel permit under this section, the department shall revoke that permit, if issued, revoke the person's commercial fishing license that was issued pursuant to Section 7850 for a period of not less than five years, and revoke the commercial boat registration for a period of not less than five years of any vessel registered to that person pursuant to Section 7881 of which that person is the owner. (h) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.2. (a) The owner of a Dungeness crab vessel, for purposes of this section, may include a person with a bona fide contract for the purchase of a vessel who otherwise meets all other qualifications for a Dungeness crab vessel permit. If a contract is found to be fraudulent or written or entered into for the purposes of circumventing qualification criteria for the issuance of a permit, the applicant shall be permanently ineligible for a Dungeness crab vessel permit. (b) A Dungeness crab vessel permit shall be issued only to the person owning the vessel at the time of application for that permit. No person shall be issued more than one permit for each vessel owned by that person and qualifying for a permit pursuant to Section 8280.1. (c) A Dungeness crab vessel permit shall be issued only to the owner of a vessel taking crab by traps. No permit shall be issued to the owner of a vessel using trawl or other nets unless the owner of that vessel qualifies for a permit pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 8280.1. No trawl or other net vessel authorized under this code to take Dungeness crab incidental to the taking of fish in trawl or other nets shall be required to possess a Dungeness crab vessel permit. (d) Dungeness crab vessel permits shall not be combined or otherwise aggregated for the purpose of replacing smaller vessels in the fishery with a larger vessel, and a permit shall not be divided or otherwise separated for the purpose of replacing a vessel in the fishery with two or more smaller vessels. (e) Applications for renewal of all Dungeness crab vessel permits shall be received by the department, or, if mailed, postmarked, by April 30 of each year. In order for a vessel to retain eligibility, a permit shall be obtained each year subsequent to the initial permit year and the vessel shall be registered pursuant to Section 7881. The vessel owner shall have a valid commercial fishing license issued to that person pursuant to Section 7852 that has not been suspended or revoked. No minimum landings of Dungeness crab shall be required annually to be eligible for a Dungeness crab vessel permit. (f) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.3. (a) Notwithstanding Article 9 (commencing with Section 8100) of Chapter 1 and except as provided in this section, a Dungeness crab vessel permit shall not be transferred. (1) The owner of a vessel to whom a Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued shall transfer the permit for the use of that vessel upon the sale of the vessel by the permitholder to the person purchasing the vessel. Thereafter, upon notice to the department, the person purchasing the vessel may use the vessel for the taking and landing of Dungeness crab for any and all of the unexpired portion of the permit year, and that person is eligible for a permit pursuant to Section 8280.1 for the use of that vessel in subsequent years. The person purchasing the vessel may not transfer the permit for use of that vessel in the Dungeness crab fishery to another replacement vessel during the same permit year. (2) The owner of a vessel to whom the Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued may transfer the permit to a replacement vessel of equivalent capacity, except as specified in this section. Thereafter, upon notice to the department and payment of the transfer fee specified in Section 8280.6, the replacement vessel may be used for the taking and landing of Dungeness crab for any and all of the unexpired portion of the permit year and that person is eligible for a permit pursuant to Section 8280.1 for the use of that replacement vessel in subsequent years. The owner of a permitted vessel may transfer the permit to a vessel of greater capacity that was owned by that person on or before November 15, 1995, not to exceed 10 feet longer in length overall than the vessel for which the permit was originally issued or to a vessel of greater capacity purchased after November 15, 1995, not to exceed five feet longer in length overall than the vessel for which the permit was originally issued. The department, upon recommendation of the Dungeness crab review panel, may authorize the owner of a permitted vessel to transfer the permit to a replacement vessel that was owned by that person on or before April 1, 1996, that does not fish with trawl nets that is greater than five feet longer in length overall than the vessel for which the permit was originally issued, if all of the following conditions are satisfied: (A) A vessel of a larger size is essential to the owner for participation in another fishery other than a trawl net fishery. (B) The owner held a permit on or before January 1, 1995, for the fishery for which a larger vessel is needed and has participated in that fishery. (C) The permit for the vessel from which the permit is to be transferred qualified pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 8280.1. (D) The vessel to which the permit is to be transferred does not exceed 20 feet longer in length overall than the vessel for which the permit was originally issued and the vessel to which the permit is to be transferred does not exceed 60 feet in overall length. No transfer of a permit to a larger vessel shall be allowed more than one time. If a permit is transferred to a larger vessel, any Dungeness crab vessel permit for that permit year or any subsequent permit years for that larger vessel may not be transferred to another larger vessel. The department shall not thereafter issue a Dungeness crab vessel permit for the use of the original vessel from which the permit was transferred, except that the original vessel may be used to take or land Dungeness crab after that transfer if its use is authorized pursuant to another Dungeness crab vessel permit subsequently transferred to that vessel pursuant to this paragraph. (3) Upon the written approval of the department, the owner of a vessel to whom the Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued may temporarily transfer the permit to another replacement vessel, for which use in the Dungeness crab fishery is not permitted pursuant to this section or Section 8280.1, for a period of not more than six months during the current permit year if the vessel for which the permit was issued is seriously damaged, suffers major mechanical breakdown, or is lost or destroyed, as determined by the department, upon approval of the director. The owner of the vessel shall submit proof that the department may reasonably require to establish the existence of the conditions of this paragraph. Upon approval by the director, the owner of a lost or destroyed vessel granted a six-month temporary transfer under this section may be granted an additional six-month extension of the temporary transfer. (4) Upon written approval of the department, the owner of a vessel to whom the Dungeness crab vessel permit has been issued may retain that permit upon the sale of that permitted vessel for the purpose of transferring the permit to another vessel to be purchased by that individual within one year of the time of sale of the vessel for which the permit was originally issued if the requirements of this section are satisfied, including the payment of transfer fees. If the permit is not transferred to a new vessel owned by the person to whom the vessel permit was originally issued within one year of the sale of the vessel for which it was originally issued, or if the person does not retain ownership of the new vessel to which the permit is transferred for a period of not less than one year, the permit shall be revoked. (5) In the event of the death or incapacity of a permitholder, the permit shall be transferred, upon application, to the heirs or assigns, or to the working partner, of the permitholder, together with the transfer of the vessel for which the permit was issued, and the new owner may continue to operate the vessel under the permit, renew the permit, or transfer the permit upon sale of the vessel pursuant to paragraph (1). (b) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.4. (a) The commission may revoke the commercial fishing license issued pursuant to Section 7852 of any person owning a fishing vessel engaging in the taking or landing of Dungeness crab by traps for which that person has not obtained a Dungeness crab vessel permit, and the commission may revoke the registration, issued pursuant to Section 7881, for that vessel. (b) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.5. (a) The director shall convene a Dungeness crab review panel for the purpose of reviewing applications for Dungeness crab vessel permits pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 8280.1 and applications for permit transfers pursuant to Section 8280.3 if the department determines that the additional review and advice of the panel will be helpful in deciding whether to issue a permit or approve a transfer. (b) The panel shall consist of one nonvoting representative of the department and three public voting members selected by the director to represent the Dungeness crab fishing industry. One public member shall be licensed pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030) of Chapter 1 and active in Dungeness crab processing in this state. Two public members shall be licensed pursuant to Section 7852, one from Sonoma County or a county south of Sonoma County, and one from Mendocino County or a county north of Mendocino County, and active in the taking and landing of Dungeness crab in this state. The public members shall be reimbursed for their necessary and proper expenses to participate on the panel. A public member shall serve on the panel for not more than four consecutive years. (c) The panel may conduct its review of applications referred to it by mail or teleconference. (d) The panel shall review each application for a permit or permit transfer referred to it by the department and shall consider all oral and written evidence presented by the applicant that is pertinent to the application under review. If the panel recommends issuance of a permit or approval of the transfer, the department may issue a Dungeness crab vessel permit pursuant to Section 8280.1 or approve a permit transfer pursuant to Section 8280.3. (e) All appeals of denials of Dungeness crab vessel permits shall be made to the commission and may be heard by the commission if the appeal of denial is filed in writing with the commission not later than 90 days from the date of a permit denial. The commission may order the department to issue a permit upon appeal if the commission finds that the appellant qualified for a permit under this chapter. (f) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.6. (a) The department shall charge a fee for each Dungeness crab vessel permit of two hundred dollars ($200) for a resident of California and four hundred dollars ($400) for a nonresident of California. (b) The department shall charge a nonrefundable fee of two hundred dollars ($200) for each transfer of a permit authorized pursuant to paragraph (2), (4), or (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 8280.3. (c) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2012, and, as of January 1, 2013, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2013, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. 8280.7. Notwithstanding Section 8280.1, the owner of a vessel, who has a Dungeness crab vessel permit for that vessel that has not been suspended or revoked, may contract for the use of a vessel that is registered pursuant to Section 7881 and for which a Dungeness crab vessel permit has not been issued for the purpose of assisting the crew of the permitted vessel in the deployment of Dungeness crab traps. An unpermitted vessel used for the purpose of assisting in the deployment of Dungeness crab traps pursuant to this section shall not have on board any equipment for the retrieval of Dungeness crab traps and shall not have on board at any time any Dungeness crab. 8280.9. Dungeness crab vessel permits are valid only in state waters and in the Pacific Ocean in federal waters south of the border with Oregon. 8281. Crab meat and frozen whole crabs or parts thereof, which are taken during the open season, may be possessed, transported, and sold at any time, subject to the regulations of the commission. The cost of inspection and marking, under the regulations of the commission, shall be paid by the owner or seller of such crab meat, crabs, or parts thereof. 8282. (a) Subject to this article and Article 1 (commencing with Section 9000) of Chapter 4, and subject to the regulation of the commission authorized under subdivision (c), rock crab may be taken in traps in any waters of the state at any time, except in Districts 9, 19A, 19B, and 21 and those portions of District 20 lying on the north and east sides of Santa Catalina Island north of Southeast Rock. Rock crab (Cancer antennarius), red crab (Cancer productus), or yellow crab (Cancer anthonyi), which is less than 4 1/4 inches, measured in a straight line through the body, from edge of shell to edge of shell at the widest part, shall not be taken, possessed, bought, or sold. (b) Any person taking rock crab shall carry a measuring device and shall measure any rock crab immediately upon removal from the trap. If the person determines that the rock crab is undersize, the person shall return it to the water immediately. (c) Upon the recommendation of the director regarding rock crab fishery management measures, and following a public hearing on the matter, the commission may adopt regulations to manage the rock crab resource consistent with Part 1.7 (commencing with Section 7050). 8283. (a) If requested on or before November 10 of any year, the director shall consult with the Dungeness crab industry and shall specify by public announcement on or before November 20 of that year when crab traps may be set and baited prior to the opening date of the Dungeness crab season in Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9. Crab traps may be set and baited in advance of that opening date in those districts if no other attempt is made to take or possess Dungeness crab in those districts. (b) Except in Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9, crab traps may be set and baited 18 hours in advance of the opening date of the Dungeness crab season, if no other attempt is made to take or possess Dungeness crab. 8284. (a) Subject to this article and Article 1 (commencing with Section 9000) of Chapter 4, crab traps, as described in Section 9011, may be used to take Dungeness crab for commercial purposes. Any fish may be taken incidentally in crab traps being used to take Dungeness crab. (b) Except as provided in Section 9011 or subdivision (c), any other species taken incidentally in a crab trap being used to take rock crab, shall be immediately released back to the water. (c) The following species may be taken incidentally in crab traps being used to take rock crab under a permit issued pursuant to Section 9001 in Districts 19 and 118.5: (1) Kellet's whelk. (2) Octopus. (3) Crabs other than of the genus Cancer, except as provided in Section 9011.