Sport fishing: licenses.

Existing law requires every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit to first obtain a license for that purpose, with specified exceptions, and to have that license on his or her person or in his or her immediate possession when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license. Existing law requires a resident or a nonresident, 16 years of age or older, upon payment of a specified fee, to be issued a sport fishing license for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder thereof. Existing law requires the Fish and Game Commission to adjust the amount of the sport fishing license fees, as prescribed, to fully recover, but not exceed, all reasonable administrative and implementation costs of the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the commission relating to those licenses. This bill would require a resident or a nonresident, 16 years of age or older, upon payment of a specified base fee plus an administrative and implementation fee specific to recovering all costs to the department of adding this license, to be issued a sport fishing license for the period of 12 consecutive months beginning on the date specified on the license, as prescribed. This bill would prohibit the department from issuing through the Automated License Data System a sport fishing license for that period of 12 consecutive months until the department certifies that the Automated License Data System has been successfully modified to issue and track these licenses and would require the department to notify the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water and the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife of this certification. This bill would permit the issuance of these sport fishing licenses for a period of 12 consecutive months for 5 years after the date the department issues the first of these licenses through the Automated License Data System.