(a)
The Legislature finds and declares that commercial salmon fishing is in the public interest and that the preservation of commercial salmon fishing directly affects the health and welfare of the public. The Legislature further finds and declares that, due to past declines in salmon stocks, the increase in the quality and value of salmon on the market, the number and types of vessels being used, the commensurate salmon fishing potential of the commercial salmon fishing fleet, and the demand for entry into the commercial salmon fishery, it is necessary and proper to limit the persons who are eligible to take salmon for commercial purposes and to regulate the amount of salmon that may be taken by restricting the number and salmon fishing potential of the vessels in the commercial salmon fishing fleet in order to preserve and rebuild the salmon resource, to protect commercial salmon fishing, and thereby to protect the health and welfare of the public.
(b)
The Legislature further finds and declares the following:
(1)
The salmon resource declined in 1983 and 1984 as a result of the most severe warm water El Nino current of this century, which caused major disruptions and hardship in the commercial salmon fishery. Habitat destruction in the rivers of California has also depleted the salmon stocks which are bred and reared in those rivers.
(2)
The Pacific Fishery Management Council has imposed season closures on the taking of salmon since 1982, including a total prohibition on commercial taking of salmon in 1985 along portions of the northern California coast to protect the king salmon stock from the Klamath River. In 1987, a five-year agreement was signed which allocates the king salmon stock from the Klamath River between ocean commercial and recreational users and in-river Indian and recreational users. This agreement may result in further closures.
(3)
Nearly 30 percent of the commercial salmon fishing vessels which were permitted to take salmon for commercial purposes in California did not record landings of salmon in the 1986 and 1987 commercial salmon seasons.
(4)
There are more than enough commercial salmon fishing vessels for which commercial salmon fishing permits have been issued to harvest the less than 10 million pounds of salmon that are currently available annually. With the present fleet makeup between large vessels and small vessels and between full-time and part-time fishermen, it is estimated that the present resource capacity may accommodate a fleet of not more than 2,500 permitted vessels. Therefore, no new permits should be issued until the time that the fleet size falls below 2,500 permitted vessels. Adequate provision for entry of new persons or vessels to the commercial salmon fishery is afforded by transfers of vessels for which permits have been issued and renewed and by transfers of those existing permits to vessels of the same or less salmon fishing potential.