Chapter 6. Fishery Management Plan Preparation, Approval, And Regulations of California Fish And Game Code >> Division 6. >> Part 1.7. >> Chapter 6.

(a) The department shall prepare fishery management plans and plan amendments, including any proposed regulations necessary to implement plans or plan amendments, to be submitted to the commission for adoption or rejection. Prior to submitting a plan or plan amendment, including any proposed regulations necessary for implementation, to the commission, the department shall submit the plan to peer review pursuant to Section 7062, unless the department determines that peer review of the plan or plan amendment may be exempted pursuant to subdivision (c). If the department makes that determination, it shall submit its reasons for that determination to the commission with the plan. If the commission rejects a plan or plan amendment, including proposed regulations necessary for implementation, the commission shall return the plan or plan amendment to the department for revision and resubmission together with a written statement of reasons for the rejection. The department shall revise and resubmit the plan or plan amendment to the commission within 90 days of the rejection. The revised plan or plan amendment shall be subject to the review and adoption requirements of this chapter.
  (b) The department may contract with qualified individuals or organizations to assist in the preparation of fishery management plans or plan amendments.
  (c) The commission, with the advice of the department and consistent with Section 7059, shall adopt criteria to be applied in determining whether a plan or plan amendment may be exempted from peer review.
  (d) Fishery participants and their representatives, fishery scientists, or other interested parties may propose plan provisions or plan amendments to the department or commission. The commission shall review any proposal submitted to the commission and may recommend to the department that the department develop a fishery management plan or plan amendment to incorporate the proposal.

(a) To the extent practicable, and consistent with Section 7059, the department shall seek advice and assistance in developing a fishery management plan from participants in the affected fishery, marine scientists, and other interested parties. The department shall also seek the advice and assistance of other persons or entities that it deems appropriate, which may include, but is not limited to, Sea Grant, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and any advisory committee of the department.
  (b) In the case of a fishery management plan or a plan amendment that is submitted to peer review, the department shall provide the peer review panel with any written comments on the plan or plan amendment that the department has received from fishery participants and other interested parties.

A fishery management plan or plan amendment, or proposed regulations necessary for implementation of a plan or plan amendment, developed by the department shall be available to the public for review at least 30 days prior to a hearing on the management plan or plan amendment by the commission. Persons requesting to be notified of the availability of the plan shall be notified in sufficient time to allow them to review and submit comments at or prior to a hearing. Proposed plans and plan amendments and hearing schedules and agendas shall be posted on the department's Internet website.

(a) The commission shall hold at least two public hearings on a fishery management plan or plan amendment prior to the commission' s adoption or rejection of the plan.
  (b) The plan or plan amendment shall be heard not later than 60 days following receipt of the plan or plan amendment by the commission. The commission may adopt the plan or plan amendment at the second public hearing, at the commission's meeting following the second public hearing, or at any duly noticed subsequent meeting, subject to subdivision (c).
  (c) When scheduling the location of a hearing or meeting relating to a fishery management plan or plan amendment, the commission shall consider factors, including, among other factors, the area of the state, if any, where participants in the fishery are concentrated.
  (d) Notwithstanding Section 7550.5 of the Government Code, prior to the adoption of a fishery management plan or plan amendment that would make inoperative a statute, the commission shall provide a copy of the plan or plan amendment to the Legislature for review by the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture or, if there is no such committee, to the appropriate policy committee in each house of the Legislature.
  (e) The commission shall adopt any regulations necessary to implement a fishery plan or plan amendment no more than 60 days following adoption of the plan or plan amendment. All implementing regulations adopted under this subdivision shall be adopted as a regulation pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The commission's adoption of regulations to implement a fishery management plan or plan amendment shall not trigger an additional review process under the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code).
  (f) Regulations adopted by the commission to implement a plan or plan amendment shall specify any statute or regulation of the commission that is to become inoperative as to the particular fishery. The list shall designate each statute or regulation by individual section number, rather than by reference to articles or chapters.