(a) The department shall issue no new gill net or trammel net permits under Section 8681. However, the department may renew an existing, valid permit issued under Section 8681, under regulations adopted pursuant to Section 8682 and upon payment of the fee prescribed under Section 8683.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) or Section 8681, any person who has an existing, valid permit issued pursuant to Section 8681, and presents to the department satisfactory evidence that he or she has taken and landed fish for commercial purposes in at least 15 of the preceding 20 years, may transfer that permit to any person otherwise qualified under the regulations adopted pursuant to Section 8682 upon payment of the fee prescribed under Section 8683.
(c) The fee collected by the department for the transfer of a gill and trammel net permit issued pursuant to Section 8682 shall not exceed the cost of the permit fee as prescribed under Section 8683.
(d) For purposes of subdivision (b), the death of the holder of the permit is a disability which authorizes transfer of the permit by that person’s estate to a qualified fisherman pursuant to Section 8682. For purposes of a transfer under this subdivision, the estate shall renew the permit, as specified in Section 8681, if the permittee did not renew the permit before his or her death. The application for transfer by that person’s estate shall be received by the department, including the name, address, and telephone number of the qualified fisherman to whom the permit will be transferred, within one year of the date of death of the permitholder. If no transfer is initiated within one year of the date of death of the permitholder, the permit shall revert to the department for disposition pursuant to Section 8681.
(e) Any active participant who becomes disabled in such a manner that he or she can no longer earn a livelihood from commercial fishing may transfer his or her permit as provided under this section.
(f) The Legislature finds and declares that this section, as amended by Chapter 94 of the Statutes of 1992, is more restrictive on the use and possession of gill nets and trammel nets than the version of this section in effect on January 1, 1989, and therefore complies with Section 8610.4, and Section 4 of Article X B of the California Constitution.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 483, Sec. 26. Effective January 1, 2000.)