(a) (1) Consistent with Section 91.8 of the Streets and Highways Code, the commission may establish a pilot program for the issuance of wildlife salvage permits through a user-friendly and cell-phone-friendly web-based portal to persons desiring to recover, possess, use, or transport, for purposes of salvaging wild game meat for human consumption of, any deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or wild pig that has been accidentally killed as a result of a vehicle collision on a roadway within California. This permitting process shall be available at no cost to the public.
(2) In developing the pilot program, the commission shall consult with the department, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, other relevant public entities, and stakeholders to ensure public health and safety and to ensure the pilot program does not facilitate poaching.
(3) The commission shall prescribe the requirements for applying for and receiving a wildlife salvage permit and set the terms and conditions it deems necessary for the safe recovery, possession, use, and transportation of deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or wild pig pursuant to a wildlife salvage permit.
(4) The commission shall require a person seeking to obtain a wildlife salvage permit to report through the web-based portal described in paragraph (1), at a minimum, the location, type, and description of the animal salvaged, the date and time of salvage, the basic characteristics of the incident and a description of the vehicle involved, where applicable, and the destination where the carcass will be transported.
(5) The commission may limit the implementation of the pilot program only to certain counties or regions of the state.
(6) The commission may restrict the roadways where wildlife salvage may be conducted and the species subject to salvage, and may regulate any other aspect of the pilot program necessary to ensure the pilot program’s success, to minimize risks to public safety, and to prevent poaching.
(7) A person desiring to salvage the carcass of an animal pursuant to this section shall do so in a manner consistent with Section 21718 of the Vehicle Code.
(8) The commission shall consider and recommend to the department public education and outreach for the wildlife salvage pilot program beyond traditional hunting populations to the general public.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 2000.5, if a person unintentionally strikes and kills a deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or wild pig on a roadway in California with a vehicle, that person may recover, possess, use, or transport the whole animal and salvage the edible portions of the animal pursuant to a wildlife salvage permit.
(c) Subdivision (b) shall also apply to an individual who encounters an unintentionally killed deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, or wild pig that has been struck with a vehicle.
(d) This section does not authorize an individual to kill an injured or wounded animal for the purpose of salvage. An animal that is severely injured in an accidental vehicle collision may only be salvaged pursuant to this section if it is subsequently killed by the department pursuant to Section 1001 or a law enforcement officer authorized by the department to kill injured wildlife.
(e) (1) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the commission may establish the wildlife salvage pilot program no later than January 1, 2022.
(2) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the department shall implement the pilot program no later than six months after the commission establishes the pilot program.
(3) (A) To the extent feasible, the department shall develop and make available to the public the web-based portal described in subdivision (a) for the wildlife salvage pilot program to facilitate participation in the pilot program.
(B) To the extent practicable, the web-based portal shall work with the existing harvest reporting system in use by the department, including identification of the person salvaging the animal.
(C) The department shall work to include data collected from the wildlife salvage pilot program in any other wildlife-vehicle collision data collection efforts, including data collection efforts conducted pursuant to Section 1023.
(f) This section does not authorize the take of wildlife species listed pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050)) and Section 670.1 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, or other nongame wildlife, fully protected species, migratory birds, including, but not limited to, waterfowl, and other wildlife species not lawfully hunted.
(g) The state is not liable for any harm, injury, loss, or damage arising out of the recovery, possession, use, transport, or consumption of any wild game animal legally salvaged pursuant to this section.
(h) Beginning on the first March 1 after the department implements the pilot program, and each March 1 thereafter, the department shall make available on its internet website data that includes the number of wildlife salvage permits issued, locations of impacts, and species of wildlife.
(i) Subdivisions (b) to (d), inclusive, shall become operative when the department implements the pilot program.
(j) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2029, and as of that date is repealed.
(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 869, Sec. 6. (SB 395) Effective January 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2029, by its own provisions.)