Title FGC, California Fish & Game Code

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code or regulation adopted pursuant to this code, the director or a representative appointed by the director, may, without notice or a hearing, grant a license to a fish reduction plant to dispose of dead or dying fish. The license may …

Nothing in this article restricts the power of any court in any proceeding relating to any matter arising out of the provisions of this article. (Enacted by Stats. 1957, Ch. 456.)

“Limited entry fishery” means a fishery in which the number of persons who may participate or the number of vessels that may be used in taking a specified species of fish is limited by statute or regulation. (Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 483, Sec. 20. Effective January 1, 2000.)

(a) Any licensed fisherman shall be eligible for inclusion during the initial year of a limited entry fishery which is established by statute that becomes operative after January 1, 1982, or by regulation that becomes operative after January 1, 1999, regardless of the prescribed …

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that, in some limited entry fisheries, two or more partners may be operating with one of the partners holding the permit to participate in the fishery. The Legislature further finds and declares that undocumented, de facto, family partnershi…

(a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (1) The accidental death of a limited entry permittee results in great hardships on the permittee’s family. (2) Under the law as it existed immediately prior to January 1, 1987, if a member of the permittee’s family has not been …

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that dramatic changes have very recently taken place in the methods and geographic areas of effort by California-based commercial fishermen. (b) The Legislature further finds and declares that because the conditions which now exist could not…

“Far offshore fishery” means a fishery that lies outside the United States 200-mile exclusive economic zone, as defined by paragraph (6) of Section 1802 of Title 16 of the United States Code. (Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 619, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Notwithstanding any other section of this code, fish taken in a far offshore fishery, which may be lawfully imported, may be landed in this state by persons operating a commercial fishing vessel registered pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 7880) who took the fish in …

(a) Prior to departure from any port in the United States for the purpose of taking fish in the far offshore fishery, the operator of any vessel landing fish in California that will be taken in the far offshore fishery shall file a declaration with the department on forms prescri…

It is unlawful for the operator of any vessel operating under authority of this article to fish in, or land fish from, any waters within the United States 200-mile exclusive economic zone during any trip for which the operator filed a declaration with the department to fish in th…

The definitions in this section govern the construction of this article: (a) “Environmental purpose” means the intent to prevent or minimize adverse ecological effects to water quality. (b) “High seas interception” means the unauthorized taking of salmon for commercial purposes o…

It is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) To buy, sell, trade, process, or possess salmon, or attempt to buy, sell, trade, process, or possess salmon, with the knowledge that the salmon has been, or will be, obtained by high seas interception. (b) To knowingly…

It is unlawful for any person to create, circulate, or possess any written instrument related to salmon with the knowledge that the written instrument conveys misleading or untrue information about the ownership, possession, processing, origin, destination, route of shipping, typ…

(a) If any person knows that a vessel contains salmon obtained by high seas interception or that the owner or operator of the vessel intends to engage in the high seas interception of salmon, it is unlawful for that person to do any of the following: (1) Move persons, cargo, or o…

There is hereby established the Commercial Fisheries Capacity Reduction Account in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Fees collected pursuant to Section 8126 shall be deposited into the account. Money in the account shall be used to repay the California fishermen’s share of any…

The commission shall establish a capacity reduction fee on the taking of certain species of fish and shellfish, consistent with the West Coast Groundfish Fishery Capacity Reduction Program. In establishing the fee, the commission shall also consider the administrative cost associ…

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation establishing a comprehensive program to allow California groundfish fishermen to participate in any federally established buy-back program for the Pacific groundfish fishery. (Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 962, Sec. 1. Effectiv…

(a) The commission may establish by regulation an automatic process to conform its sport fishing regulations to federal regulations. (b) Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code does not apply to conforming actions impl…

(a) The department shall identify property it owns or manages that includes areas for sport fishing accessible to persons with disabilities. (b) Commencing with the booklet of sport fishing regulations published by the commission in 1986, the availability of sport fishing areas, …

As used in this article: (a) “Act” means the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1801 et seq.). (b) “Council” means the Pacific Fishery Management Council established pursuant to the act, or its successor agency. (c) “Fishery” has the same mea…

Upon the preparation by the council, and the recommendation by the council to the secretary, of a fishery management plan or amendment thereto pursuant to the act, or upon the approval by the secretary of a fishery management plan, or amendment thereto, pursuant to the act, the d…

(a) Notwithstanding any other section of this article or any other provisions of law, the director shall hold a public hearing or hearings in the area of the fishery under consideration after a recommendation by the council to the secretary of a fishery management plan or amendme…

(a) The director may repeal or amend any regulation adopted pursuant to Section 7652 or any other regulation to conform the regulation to federal regulations pursuant to the act, if the director finds that this action is necessary to achieve optimum yield in California. (b) Notwi…

(a) The director shall not adopt, amend, or repeal any regulation pursuant to this article until the director has held one or more hearings and submitted a report to the Legislature pursuant to Section 7652.1 or 7652.2, whichever is applicable. (b) The report to the Legislature s…

Upon the adoption of any regulations pursuant to Section 7652, the director shall report to the Legislature which statutes or regulations of the commission need to be amended or repealed, and any regulations adopted by the director that need to be enacted as statutes, to conform …

The Legislature finds and declares: (a) That the actions taken by the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council have resulted in significant economic losses to California’s salmon and groundfish fisheries, have caused significant waste of fish, and have failed to manage and cons…

(a) It is the policy of the State of California that the state be represented on the Pacific Fishery Management Council by people who are knowledgeable about fisheries directly subject to the fishery management plans of the council. Nominations and appointments to the Pacific Fis…

As used in this article: (a) “Advisory committee” means the Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout, established pursuant to Resolution Chapter 141 of the Statutes of 1983, except that there shall be two additional members appointed by the Joint Committee on Fisheries an…

The department shall consult with the advisory committee and representatives of every user group known to the department on the progress being made in the development of the annual and long-term salmon management plans. (Added by Stats. 1984, Ch. 1686, Sec. 7. Effective September…

(a) Any person engaged in the business of licensed commercial fishing may enter into an arrangement with other authorized persons for the pooling of funds to pay claims or losses arising out of loss or damage to a vessel or machinery used in the business of commercial fishing and…

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article to ensure the health and safety of its citizens engaged in activities requiring the use of hunting implements. (b) The Legislature finds and declares that individuals who engage in hunting should possess an adequate…

(a) No hunting license may be issued to any person unless he or she presents to the person authorized to issue that license any of the following: (1) Evidence that he or she has held a hunting license issued by this state in a prior year. (2) Evidence that he or she holds a curre…

(a) The department shall provide for a course of instruction in hunter education, principles of conservation, and positive sporting behavior, and for this purpose may cooperate with any reputable association or organization having as one of its objectives the promotion of hunter …

A person receiving instruction from a hunter education instructor shall not be charged a fee for the service provided by the instructor, but may be charged a fee to cover the costs incurred by the instructor in teaching the class. A record of these costs shall be kept for inspect…

In the case of loss or destruction of a certificate, a duplicate certificate may be issued by the instructor who issued the original certificate, or, by an instructor of the sponsoring organization having adequate records to establish successful completion of the prescribed cours…

The department shall furnish information on hunter safety, principles of conservation, and sportsmanship that shall be distributed free of charge to persons designated as hunter education instructors for instructional purposes. (Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 285, Sec. 60. Effective…

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (f) or (g), no person who is 18 years of age or more and less than 70 years of age, on or before April 1 of the current license year, shall take salmon for commercial purposes or be on board a vessel on which salmon are taken for commercial p…

(a) After deducting the administrative costs for issuing the commercial fishing salmon stamps, the department shall deposit the fees received pursuant to Section 7860 in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount, which is hereby established in the Fish and Game Preservatio…

Not more than 15 percent of the funds expended pursuant to Section 7861 may be used to pay the costs incurred in the administration of the program. (Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 368, Sec. 4. (SB 197) Effective January 1, 2014. Repealed as of January 1, 2029, pursuant to Section 78…

Notwithstanding any other law, the department may receive on behalf of the Commercial Salmon Trollers Enhancement and Restoration Program, for deposit in the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund established pursuant to Section 7861, …

It is the intent of the Legislature that the department use the moneys from the sale of commercial fishing salmon stamps allocated pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 7861 and the matching share contributed by the department to raise approximately two million chinook salmon an…

A priority for funding shall be given to programs and projects restoring, enhancing, and protecting salmon streams with funds appropriated pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (e) of Section 5907 of the Public Resources Code, that employ fishermen who are …

In consultation with the Commercial Salmon Trollers Advisory Committee, the department may allocate funds from the Commercial Salmon Stamp Dedicated Subaccount in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund for the following purposes: (a) For restoration projects to assist in the recover…

A Commercial Salmon Trollers Advisory Committee shall be established consisting of six members selected by the director. One member shall be chosen from the personnel of the department. Four persons shall be selected, with alternates, from a list submitted by a fishermen’s organi…

(a) The Commercial Salmon Trollers Advisory Committee established under Section 7862 may recommend to the director that a nonprofit organization or the California Salmon Council be authorized to create or contract to create salmon or salmon fishing artwork and other materials bas…