(a) The director shall report annually in writing to the commission on the status of sport and commercial marine fisheries managed by the state. The date of the report shall be chosen by the commission with the advice of the department. Each annual report shall cover at least one-fourth of the marine fisheries managed by the state so that every fishery will be reported on at least once every four years. The department shall, consistent with Section 7059, involve expertise from outside the department in compiling information for the report, which may include, but need not be limited to, Sea Grant staff, other marine scientists, fishery participants, and other interested parties.
(b) For each fishery reported on in an annual report, the report shall include information on landings, fishing effort, areas where the fishery occurs, and other factors affecting the fishery as determined by the department and the commission. Each restricted access program shall be reviewed at least every five years for consistency with the policies of the commission on restricted access fisheries.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the first annual report shall be presented to the commission on or before September 1, 2001, and shall cover all the marine fisheries managed by the state. To the extent that the requirements of this section and Section 7073 are duplicative, the first annual report may be combined with the plan required pursuant to Section 7073.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 483, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 2000.)