Section 8280.5.

(a) The director shall convene a Dungeness crab review panel for the purpose of reviewing applications for Dungeness crab vessel permits pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 8280.1 and applications for permit transfers pursuant to Section 8280.3 if the department determines that the additional review and advice of the panel will be helpful in deciding whether to issue a permit or approve a transfer.

(b) The panel shall consist of one nonvoting representative of the department and three public voting members selected by the director to represent the Dungeness crab fishing industry. One public member shall be licensed pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 8030) of Chapter 1 and active in Dungeness crab processing in this state. Two public members shall be licensed pursuant to Section 7852, one from Sonoma County or a county south of Sonoma County, and one from Mendocino County or a county north of Mendocino County, and active in the taking and landing of Dungeness crab in this state. The public members shall be reimbursed for their necessary and proper expenses to participate on the panel. A public member shall serve on the panel for not more than four consecutive years.

(c) The panel may conduct its review of applications referred to it by mail or teleconference.

(d) The panel shall review each application for a permit or permit transfer referred to it by the department and shall consider all oral and written evidence presented by the applicant that is pertinent to the application under review. If the panel recommends issuance of a permit or approval of the transfer, the department may issue a Dungeness crab vessel permit pursuant to Section 8280.1 or approve a permit transfer pursuant to Section 8280.3.

(e) All appeals of denials of Dungeness crab vessel permits shall be made to the commission and may be heard by the commission if the appeal of denial is filed in writing with the commission not later than 90 days from the date of a permit denial. The commission may order the department to issue a permit upon appeal if the commission finds that the appellant qualified for a permit under this chapter.

(f) This section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2019, and, as of January 1, 2020, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2020, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 335, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 2012. Inoperative April 1, 2019. Repealed as of January 1, 2020, by its own provisions.)