SECTIONS 7050-7051 - California Statutes

FISH AND GAME CODE

SECTION 7050-7051

7050. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the Pacific Ocean
and its rich marine living resources are of great environmental,
economic, aesthetic, recreational, educational, scientific,
nutritional, social, and historic importance to the people of
California.
(b) It is the policy of the state to ensure the conservation,
sustainable use, and, where feasible, restoration of California's
marine living resources for the benefit of all the citizens of the
state. The objective of this policy shall be to accomplish all of the
following:
(1) Conserve the health and diversity of marine ecosystems and
marine living resources.
(2) Allow and encourage only those activities and uses of marine
living resources that are sustainable.
(3) Recognize the importance of the aesthetic, educational,
scientific, and recreational uses that do not involve the taking of
California's marine living resources.
(4) Recognize the importance to the economy and the culture of
California of sustainable sport and commercial fisheries and the
development of commercial aquaculture consistent with the marine
living resource conservation policies of this part.
(5) Support and promote scientific research on marine ecosystems
and their components to develop better information on which to base
marine living resource management decisions.
(6) Manage marine living resources on the basis of the best
available scientific information and other relevant information that
the commission or department possesses or receives.
(7) Involve all interested parties, including, but not limited to,
individuals from the sport and commercial fishing industries,
aquaculture industries, coastal and ocean tourism and recreation
industries, marine conservation organizations, local governments,
marine scientists, and the public in marine living resource
management decisions.
(8) Promote the dissemination of accurate information concerning
the condition of, or management of, marine resources and fisheries by
seeking out the best available information and making it available
to the public through the marine resources management process.
(9) Coordinate and cooperate with adjacent states, as well as with
Mexico and Canada, and encourage regional approaches to management
of activities and uses that affect marine living resources.
Particular attention shall be paid to coordinated approaches to the
management of shared fisheries.

7051. (a) A regulation adopted pursuant to this part shall apply
only to ocean waters and bays. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this part, nothing contained in this part grants the department or
any other agency of the state any regulatory authority not in
existence on January 1, 1999, in any river upstream of the mouth of
such river, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta or in any other
estuary.
(b) The policies in this part shall apply only to fishery
management plans and regulations adopted by the commission on or
after January 1, 1999. No power is delegated to the commission or the
department by this part to regulate fisheries other than the
nearshore fishery, the white sea bass fishery, emerging fisheries,
and fisheries for which the commission or department had regulatory
authority prior to January 1, 1999.