(a) The director may order a delay in the opening of the Dungeness crab fishery after December 1 in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 in any year. The delay in the opening shall not be later than January 15 of any year.

(b) (1) On or about November 1 of each year, the director may authorize one or more operators of commercial fishing vessels to take and land a limited number of Dungeness crab for the purpose of quality testing according to a testing program conducted by, or on behalf of, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission or an entity approved by the department.

(2) (A) The meat extracted from Dungeness crab tested pursuant to paragraph (1) may be sold by the entity approved by the department and revenues from that sale may be used for purposes of managing the testing program. Revenues shall be deposited in an account managed and overseen by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.

(B) For purposes of the testing program, the department shall develop guidelines after consulting with representatives of the California Dungeness crab industry, which shall include California delegates to the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Commission or members of the California Dungeness Crab Task Force, or both. The guidelines shall include the following:

(i) Suggested guidelines for the management of the funds received from, but not limited to, the sale of the crab meat pursuant to subparagraph (A), including the suggested guideline that funds in excess of the program costs may be donated for charitable purposes.

(ii) Guidelines for the testing program.

(iii) Guidelines that establish measures to track crab caught for purposes of the testing program, including, but not limited to, the guideline that all crab caught and sold for the testing program shall be canned.

(c) The director shall order the opening of the Dungeness crab season in Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9 on December 1 if the quality tests authorized in subdivision (b) indicate the Dungeness crabs are not soft-shelled or low quality. The entity authorized to conduct the approved testing program may test, or cause to be tested, crabs taken for quality and soft shells pursuant to the approved testing program. If the tests are conducted on or about November 1 and result in a finding that Dungeness crabs are soft-shelled or low quality, the director shall authorize a second test to be conducted on or about November 15 pursuant to the approved testing program. If the second test results in a finding that Dungeness crabs are soft-shelled or low quality, the director may order the season opening delayed for a period of 15 days and may authorize a third test to be conducted on or about December 1. If the third test results in a finding that Dungeness crabs remain soft-shelled or of low quality, the director may order the season opening delayed for a period of an additional 15 days and authorize a fourth test to be conducted. This procedure may continue to be followed, except that tests shall not be conducted after January 15 for that season, and the season opening shall not be delayed by the director later than January 15.

(d) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2029, and, as of January 1, 2030, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2030, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 663, Sec. 3. (SB 1310) Effective September 21, 2018. Inoperative April 1, 2029. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.)