Fish: commercial fishing.

Senator Laird's commercial fishing legislation revises California's protocols for handling sensitive fishing industry data, establishing new parameters for which records remain confidential and which become public information. The bill modifies Section 8022 of the Fish and Game Code to classify landing receipts, catch information, and fishing activity records as confidential while designating specific identifiers - including fish business names, commercial fishing license numbers, and vessel registrations - as publicly accessible information.

The legislation outlines precise circumstances under which the Department of Fish and Wildlife may release confidential records: to federal fishery management agencies for enforcement purposes, to research institutions under confidentiality agreements, or as mandated by court order. All forms, electronic data, and documentation provided by the department for reporting purposes remain state property and must be surrendered unaltered upon official request.

The bill also updates electronic fish ticket requirements in Section 8043, detailing mandatory reporting elements such as species names, weights, license numbers, and gear types. While maintaining the prohibition on at-sea transfers between vessels, the legislation creates an exception for live bait fish that are not brought ashore. The authors note in their legislative findings that these modifications aim to protect proprietary commercial fishing data while preserving access to information needed for fishery management.