Section 8276.2 Of Article 6. Crab From California Fish And Game Code >> Division 6. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 6.
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) (1) 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.
(2) (A) The meat extracted from Dungeness crab tested pursuant to
paragraph (1) may be sold by the entity approved by the department
and revenues from that sale may be used for purposes of managing the
testing program. Revenues shall be deposited in an account managed
and overseen by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.
(B) For purposes of the testing program, the department shall
develop guidelines after consulting with representatives of the
California Dungeness crab industry, which shall include California
delegates to the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Commission or members of
the California Dungeness Crab Task Force, or both. The guidelines
shall include the following:
(i) Suggested guidelines for the management of the funds received
from, but not limited to, the sale of the crab meat pursuant to
subparagraph (A), including the suggested guideline that funds in
excess of the program costs may be donated for charitable purposes.
(ii) Guidelines for the testing program.
(iii) Guidelines that establish measures to track crab caught for
purposes of the testing program, including, but not limited to, the
guideline that all crab caught and sold for the testing program shall
be canned.
(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
tests shall not 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, 2019, and,
as of January 1, 2020, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2020, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.