Section 7055.

The Legislature finds and declares that it is the policy of the state that:

(a) California's marine sport and commercial fisheries, and the resources upon which they depend, are important to the people of the state and, to the extent practicable, shall be managed in accordance with the policies and other requirements of this part in order to assure the long-term economic, recreational, ecological, cultural, and social benefits of those fisheries and the marine habitats on which they depend.

(b) Programs for the conservation and management of the marine fishery resources of California shall be established and administered to prevent overfishing, to rebuild depressed stocks, to ensure conservation, to facilitate long-term protection and, where feasible, restoration of marine fishery habitats, and to achieve the sustainable use of the state's fishery resources.

(c) Where a species is the object of sportfishing, a sufficient resource shall be maintained to support a reasonable sport use, taking into consideration the necessity of regulating individual sport fishery bag limits to the quantity that is sufficient to provide a satisfying sport.

(d) The growth of commercial fisheries, including distant-water fisheries, shall be encouraged.

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 1052, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1999.)