Commercial fishing: crayfish.

Existing law governing the commercial fishing of crayfish prohibits the sale or purchase of crayfish taken from Lake Tahoe or the Lake Tahoe Basin. This bill would repeal that provision. Existing law requires the taking of crayfish to be subject to regulations prescribed by the Fish and Game Commission. This bill would authorize the department to establish a commercial fishery for crayfish in Lake Tahoe. This bill would require any allowance for the commercial taking of crayfish in Lake Tahoe to be for the primary purpose of population reduction and control of the signal crayfish, as prescribed. The bill would authorize the department to impose a charge on participants in the commercial fishery to reimburse the department and other applicable state agencies for the reasonable costs of implementing and enforcing the fishery. This bill would require the commission to ensure that, with respect to the taking of crayfish for commercial purposes in Lake Tahoe, the commission's regulations are consistent with the Lake Tahoe Region Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan, as amended. Existing law generally makes any violation of fish and game laws, or of any rule, regulation, or order made or adopted under those laws, a misdemeanor. Because this bill would authorize the establishment of a commercial crayfish fishing program, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would create a state-mandated local program by creating new crimes. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.