(a) The department may manage, control, and protect the portions of the following spawning areas that occupy state-owned lands, to the extent necessary to protect fishlife in these areas:

(1) The Sacramento River between Keswick and Squaw Hill Bridge, near Vina.

(2) The Feather River between Oroville and the mouth of Honcut Creek.

(3) The Yuba River between Englebright Dam and a point approximately four miles east of Marysville.

(4) The American River between Nimbus Dam and a point one mile downstream from Arden Way.

(5) The Mokelumne River between Pardee Dam and Lockeford.

(6) The Stanislaus River between Goodwin Dam and Riverbank.

(7) The Tuolumne River between La Grange Dam and the Geer Road (J14) Bridge.

(8) The Merced River between Crocker Huffman Dam and Cressey.

(9) The Trinity River between Lewiston Dam and the confluence of the North Fork Trinity, near Helena.

(10) The Eel River, from Fort Seward to Lake Pillsbury.

(11) The South Fork Eel River.

(12) The Middle Fork Smith River, from its mouth to Knopti Creek.

(13) The South Fork Smith River, from its mouth to Harrington Creek.

(14) The Salmon River, from its mouth to Rush Creek on the South Fork Salmon River, to Carter Meadow on the east fork of the South Fork Salmon River, and to Finley Camp on the North Fork Salmon River.

(15) Battle Creek, from its mouth to Coleman Powerhouse.

(16) The Cosumnes River, from Meiss Road Bridge to Latrobe Road Bridge.

(17) The Van Duzen River, from Yager Creek to the falls 11/2 miles above Bloody Run Creek.

(18) The Mad River, from Blue Lake Bridge to Bug Creek.

(19) The Middle Fork Eel River.

(20) The Mattole River.

(21) The Noyo River.

(22) The Big River, Mendocino County.

(23) The Gualala River.

(24) The Garcia River, Mendocino County.

(b) In the event of a conflict between an action of the department pursuant to this section and the action of another department or agency of the state or another public agency, the action of the Department of Fish and Wildlife taken pursuant to this section shall prevail, except in the event of conflict with the following actions:

(1) An action of the state or regional water quality control boards in establishing waste discharge requirements.

(2) An action required for commerce and navigation.

(3) An action by a public agency that is reasonably necessary for bridge crossings, water conservation or utilization, or flood protection projects, including the construction, maintenance, and operation thereof. This paragraph shall not apply to the depositing of materials, other than necessary structural materials, in, or the removing of materials from the streambeds in the areas designated in this section, other than as necessary for the installation of structures.

(c) The director shall disapprove a stream alteration of a prime salmon or steelhead spawning area on land of which ownership has not been legally determined, when in the director’s opinion the alteration would prove deleterious to fishlife.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 154, Sec. 37. (AB 1527) Effective January 1, 2016.)