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Article 2. General Provisions of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 22. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 23. >> Article 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that this chapter is enacted in the exercise of the police power of this state for the purposes of protecting and furthering the public health and welfare.
The Legislature further finds and declares that the fisheries of this state are affected with a public interest, in that, among other things:
  (a) The harvesting, processing, manufacturing, and distributing of fishery products constitute a paramount industry of this state, which not only provides substantial and required revenues for the state and its political subdivisions and employment and a means of livelihood for many residents, but which also furnishes essential foods that are vital to the public health and welfare.
  (b) It is through commercial fishermen and receivers that more than 90 percent of this state's citizens have access to these healthful foods which are resources that belong to all of the residents of the state and country.
  (c) The stabilization, maintenance, and expansion of the California commercial fisheries, and of the state, nationwide, and foreign markets for its products are necessary to ensure the consuming public access to, and an adequate supply of foods which are indispensable in, a proper human diet, to protect, for the state and its political subdivisions, a necessary source of tax revenue, to provide and maintain an adequate standard of living for a segment of the population of this state, to maintain proper wage scales for those engaged in the California commercial fisheries, and to maintain existing employment.
  (d) The essentiality of fish, low in fat and calories, to proper human nutrition and to the maintenance of a high level of public health is such as to require that the public be made thoroughly aware thereof, and be protected against misrepresentation and deception, through the dissemination of accurate and scientific information relative to the healthful qualities of fishery and seafood products, their various classifications and the food values and industrial and medicinal uses thereof, the methods, care, and precautions necessary to their proper harvesting, processing, manufacturing, and distributing, and the necessary costs and expenses thereof, and the necessity and desirability on the part of the public of using and consuming fishery products of the highest standards of quality.
The Legislature declares that the purposes of this chapter are as follows:
  (a) To enable the seafood industry, with the aid of the state, to educate the public on the nutritional and economic value and importance of California seafood and the fishing industry and to develop, maintain, and expand the state, nationwide, and foreign markets for seafood products that are harvested, processed, manufactured, sold, or distributed in this state.
  (b) In aid, but not in limitation, of the purposes in subdivision (a), to authorize and enable the secretary to formulate and effectuate, directly or in cooperation with other agencies, organizations, and other instrumentalities , sales stimulation and consumer or other educational and research programs, designed to inform the public about California seafood and to increase the use and consumption of seafood and seafood products landed in California.
  (c) To promote the continued viability of fisheries and thereby promote continued access to California's seafood resources.
  (d) To present facts to and negotiate with state, federal, and other agencies on matters that affect the availability and marketing of California seafood.
  (e) To provide funds for the administration and enforcement of this chapter by the collection of mandatory fees in the manner prescribed in this chapter.
This chapter shall be liberally construed.
If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this act are severable.
A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor.