(a) The owner of each aquaculture facility shall register all of the following information with the department by March 1 of each year:

(1) The owner’s name.

(2) The species grown.

(3) The location or locations of each operation or operations.

(b) The department may provide registration forms for this purpose, may establish a procedure for the review of the information provided to ensure that the operation will not be detrimental to native wildlife, and shall impose a registration fee of five hundred forty-nine dollars ($549) to recover the cost of reviewing new registrations. For renewing registrations, the department shall impose a registration fee of two hundred seventy-five dollars ($275). It is unlawful to conduct aquaculture operations or to culture approved species of aquatic plants and animals unless registered under this section. The registration fees specified in this section are applicable to the 2004 registration year and shall be adjusted annually thereafter pursuant to Section 713.

(c) The annual registration of information required by subdivision (a) is not a project for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code).

(d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2023, at which time the registration fees specified in this section shall be adjusted pursuant to subdivision (b) as if this section had not been inoperative.

(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 301, Sec. 2) by Stats. 2017, Ch. 521, Sec. 4. (SB 809) Effective January 1, 2018. Section resumes operation on January 1, 2023, pursuant to its own provisions. See currently operative section as amended by Sec. 3 of Stats. 2017, Ch. 521. Note: This section was operative until January 1, 2013, when the amendment by Stats. 2012, Ch. 301, made it inoperative.)