Fish: commercial fishing.

Senator Laird's commercial fishing legislation revises California's protocols for handling sensitive fishing industry data while modifying electronic reporting requirements. The bill establishes heightened confidentiality protections for landing receipts and fishing activity records, though certain basic identifying information - including business names, license numbers, and vessel details - remains publicly accessible. Federal agencies, research institutions with confidentiality agreements, and other authorized entities maintain controlled access to protected data for fishery management and research purposes.

The measure adjusts electronic fish ticket reporting obligations by removing requirements for marine aquaria receiver's license holders while maintaining comprehensive documentation standards for other commercial transactions. Electronic tickets must still capture key details like species, weights, vessel information, and transaction data. The bill preserves existing prohibitions on at-sea transfers between vessels, with limited exceptions for live bait fish.

Legislative findings emphasize the need to shield potentially sensitive commercial fishing data while ensuring regulators can track fishing activities and species harvests. All forms, electronic records, and reporting materials provided by the Department of Fish and Game remain government property, subject to immediate surrender upon official request. The bill requires no new appropriations but falls under fiscal committee review for implementation impacts.