Fish and game: steelhead trout.

Existing law requires a person taking steelhead trout in inland waters, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license and any applicable sport license stamp, to have in his or her possession a valid nontransferable steelhead trout fishing report-restoration card issued by the Department of Fish and Game. Under existing law, the base fee for the card was $5 for the 2004 license year, and is authorized to be adjusted annually pursuant to a specified index. Existing law requires revenues to be deposited in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and to be available for expenditure, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to monitor, restore, or enhance steelhead trout resources consistent with specified law, and to administer the fishing report-restoration card program. Existing law requires the department to report to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2007, regarding the steelhead trout fishing report-restoration card program's projects undertaken using revenues derived pursuant to that program, the benefits derived, and its recommendations for revising the fishing report-restoration card requirement, if any. These provisions become inoperative as of July 1, 2012, and are repealed as of January 1, 2013. This bill would extend the operation of those provisions to July 1, 2017, to be repealed as of January 1, 2018. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature regarding the card program's projects by July 1, 2016. Because this bill would extend the operation of the report-restoration card requirements, the violation of which would be a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.