California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 1 - Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game
Subdivision 1 - Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles
Chapter 9 - Aquaculture
Section 237 - Leasing of State Water Bottoms for Aquaculture

Universal Citation: 14 CA Code of Regs 237

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) Definitions. The following definitions are established for terms used in this section:

(1) "Aquaculture Area" means any public waters or private waters contiguous to public waters set aside for the purpose of cultivating, harvesting or relaying of any aquatic plant or animal life.

(2) "Aquaculture Agreement" means an agreement for the establishment of an aquaculture area on private water bottoms contiguous to state water bottoms which may include a permit for relaying or depuration of shell fish under authority of Fish and Game Code Division 12. Permits may include use of state or private lands for aquaculture purposes.

(3) "Aquaculture Lease" means a lease of state water bottoms for the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals.

(4) "Depuration" means the process by which shellfish cleanse themselves of contaminants in a controlled process water environment.

(5) "Depuration Facility" means the physical structure, enclosure or device in which depuration is accomplished, including all appurtenances.

(6) "Growing Area" means any offshore ocean, coastal estuarine or freshwater area suitable for natural shellfish growth or artificial shellfish propagation and shall include open seawater systems.

(7) "Relaying" means the moving of shellfish from one water to another.

(8) "Shellfish" in this section means native or nonnative bivalve mollusks.

(9) "Classified Areas" include those waters that may be classified by the State Department of Health according to the following:
(A) "Approved Area": a shellfish-growing area not adversely affected by sewage or other wastes.

(B) "Conditionally Approved Area": a shellfish-growing area that may be occasionally affected by sewage or other toxic substances.

(C) "Prohibited Area": a shellfish-growing area not certified because of its proximity to a known waste discharge or because the area is influenced by other detrimental environmental factors.

(D) "Restricted Area": a shellfish-growing area subjected to a limited degree of pollution which makes it unsafe to harvest shellfish for direct marketing but where harvesting for relaying or depuration may be permitted.

(10) "Lot" is a designated quantity of shellfish that is identifiable and may consist of one or more batches.

(11) "Batch" is a measurable, identifiable unit such as bushel, and one or more batches will comprise a lot.

(12) "Tidal Area" means the intertidal area between the high tide mark and 1,000 feet offshore. Commercial harvesting of native invertebrates in this area is subject to special permit requirements under Section 8500 of the Fish and Game Code.

(b) Applications.

(1) Applications for a lease of state water bottoms for aquaculture or for an aquaculture agreement or for a permit to relay or depurate shellfish shall be made to the commission.

(2) Applications shall be accompanied by proof of ownership of, or a valid lease on the lands on which the operations are to occur, or description of the state lands which the applicant has leased or intends to lease and on which the operations are to occur.

(3) Applications also shall be accompanied by a description of the area involved and a reference map clearly showing the exterior boundaries of the area. The description must be tied to monuments of record and maps must be in a form acceptable for recording in the county(ies) in which the aquaculture area is located. A copy of all maps shall be submitted by the commission to the State Lands Commission. No aquaculture agreement will be valid until the State Lands Commission has certified to the department that the area applied for is unencumbered or the private ownership is properly described, so as not to preclude its use for the proposed culture.

(4) No aquaculture lease for state water bottoms will be approved until the commission has held a public hearing at least 90 days after notice thereof has been published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county involved. An aquaculture lease or aquaculture agreement is subject to repeal if a map of the area is not filed by the holder of such lease or agreement in the appropriate county(ies) within 30 days of approval by the commission.

(5) No aquaculture agreement for private water bottoms will be approved until the commission has held a public hearing at least 30 days after notice thereof has been published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county involved. An aquaculture agreement is subject to repeal if a map of the area is not filed by the holder of such aquaculture agreement in the appropriate county(ies) within 30 days of approval by the commission.

(6) An explanation of the type of operation including the aquaculture practices, relay or depuration activities to be employed, shall be included in all applications for aquaculture leases or agreements.

(7) The change of any authorized cultural practices as specified in the aquaculture lease or agreement must have approval of the commission before the change is put into effect.

(8) The application shall include information as to whether each of the areas involved in the aquaculture relay or depuration operation has been classified by the Department of Health Services as approved, conditionally approved, prohibited, restricted or unclassified.

(c) Aquaculture Leases and Agreements.

(1) Aquaculture leases or agreements shall not be modified, amended, transferred, assigned or hypothecated without the approval of the commission.

(2) The holder of the aquaculture lease or agreement shall comply with the provisions of the Fish and Game Code and the rules and regulations of the commission and any special provisions set forth in the lease or agreement by the commission.

(3) Before an aquaculture lease or agreement is issued by the department, the applicant must present evidence that the applied for aquaculture area has been registered in compliance with Fish and Game Code Section 15101.

(4) The department may inspect the depuration facilities, culture or relay areas of a holder of an aquaculture lease or agreement at any time.

(5) Vessels used by holders of an aquaculture lease or agreement may be required to maintain clearly visible identifying numbers.

(6) The holder of an aquaculture lease or agreement shall record the size, numbers or pounds of shellfish or other marine life planted, relayed or taken in or from waters of the state on forms as designated by the department.

(7) Marking of leases. All aquaculture leases shall be clearly marked. Minimum marking requirements shall include:
(A) One buoy anchored on each of the four corners and one buoy, possessing radar-reflecting capabilities, anchored in the center of each aquaculture lease. All buoys used to define the boundaries of an aquaculture lease shall be marked in conformance with the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities Maritime Buoyage system regulations (33 CFR Section 62.33 and 66.01-10).

(B) All buoys shall bear the Aquaculture Lease No. M- (followed by the appropriate number).

(C) Buoys marking the boundaries of an aquaculture lease shall be maintained at all times. If buoys are lost, displaced or are otherwise removed from an aquaculture lease, they must be replaced within a two-week period, weather conditions permitting, or the lease may be subject to termination.

(D) If aquaculture leases are located in areas too shallow to effectively maintain buoys, the four corners (boundaries) of a lease may be defined by stakes extending no less than three feet above the surface of the water at mean higher high water supporting the markings prescribed in subsection (A). Stakes used to define the limits of an aquaculture lease shall be marked and maintained in the same manner as buoys in the preceding subsections.

(E) Each aquaculture lessee shall make application to the U.S. Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Branch, 400 Ocean Gate, Long Beach, CA 90822, for approval of the buoys and markings to be established on aquaculture leases.

(d) In addition to other requirements, a permit to relay or depurate shellfish shall contain the following conditions:

(1) An operation conducted under an aquaculture agreement or a relay or depuration permit that receives shellfish from the licensee's or permittee's own lands or lands leased by it, is not required to be licensed as a wholesale fish dealer and preserver, but shall maintain such records as are required by the department to monitor such operations, including but not limited to: data with respect to each batch of shellfish depurated or relayed that will show: its origin and quantity; date or reception by the depuration facility or relay bed and the length of time held in the facility or bed; and their final disposition. All depurated or relayed shellfish shall be identified by a tag or label securely fastened to the shipping container and bearing the certificate number of the shipper, his name and address, the name and address of the consignee, and the kind and quantity of shellfish in the container and the batch or lot number.

(2) The operator of a depurating facility receiving shellfish from other than the operator's owned or leased areas shall obtain a wholesale fish dealer's and preserver's license prior to the department's issuance of a permit and the permittee will maintain such records as required by the department.

(3) A relay or depuration permittee, moving shellfish for the purpose of cleansing, shall satisfactorily identify each lot of shellfish harvested and maintain its identity separate from other shellfish throughout its relaying or depuration process until certification by the Department of Health Services that edible shellfish standards have been met.

(4) Persons holding an aquaculture lease or agreement who relay shellfish from one area of the state to another, whether from private or public water bottoms, shall give the department notice two working days prior to the relay. Such notification shall be given to the department's office specified in the agreement.

(5) No shellfish shall be relayed without obtaining written permission from the department.

(6) Shellfish harvested from a conditionally approved or restricted area for relaying or depuration, shall be identified by a lot number. Shellfish so identified must be kept separate throughout the relaying or depuration process.

(7) Oysters, clams and mussels harvested for human consumption from the waters of Districts 12 and 13 by commercial fishermen, shall be taken only for the purposes of relaying or depuration.

(8) Shellfish produced by a registered aquaculture facility within the state may be relayed at any time. Such shellfish shall be free of disease and parasites so as to pose no threat to the environment. Hatcheries producing shellfish to be planted in state waters shall be inspected by the department for the presence of disease organisms at least once a year and, following such inspection, a permit authorizing planting of specified species for the ensuing year may be issued.

In lieu of the hatchery inspection, at the option of the registrant, inspection of each lot from the hatchery that is to be planted in state waters shall be requested. Request for inspecting each lot shall be made by the registrant at least two working days prior to the transfer. A written permit authorizing the planting shall be obtained before planting the shellfish.

(9) Subsection (d)(8) does not preclude inspections under Section 1006 of the Fish and Game Code.

(e) Shellfish relayed from Districts 12 and 13.

(1) Native shellfish taken from Districts 12 and 13 under an aquaculture lease or agreement for purposes of purification, whether from public or private lands, are subject to a royalty of 0.0125H per pound after taking the shellfish from the relaying or depurating sit. For the purpose of computing the royalty, the charge shall be based on the weight (including shell) of the shellfish after completion of the cleansing process. The royalty is payable within 30 days after close of the calendar month in which it became due. If not paid within 60 days after the close of the month for which it became due, a penalty equal to 10% of the royalty shall be added to it.

(2) Nonnative shellfish relayed from Districts 12 and 13 and relayed for the purposes of purification, are subject to a 0.02H per pound fee after taking them from the relaying or depuration site. The fee is charged to cover administrative costs and is subject to adjustment and penalty as described in subsection (e)(1).

(f) Persons holding an aquaculture lease or agreement and using state water bottoms shall, in addition to the acreage rental fee for use of state water bottoms, be assessed a fee on all shellfish harvested not to exceed the privilege tag as provided in Fish and Game Code Section 15003. The fees shall be subject to the penalty and adjustment as described in subsection (e)(1). These fees shall not apply to the harvesting of shellfish from state or private water bottoms in Districts 12 and 13 for the purposes of cleansing. When water quality in Districts 12 and 13 permits direct use of the shellfish from state water bottoms or native shellfish from private water bottoms, the fee established by Fish and Game Code Section 15003 shall apply.

(g) Agar-bearing plants taken from state waters are subject to the fees of Section 165(a)(2)(E) of this title.

(h) Oysters, clams and mussels harvested from Districts 12 and 13 for commercial purposes must be taken by licensed commercial fishermen. In addition to a commercial fishing license, every fisherman when harvesting shellfish, must have in his possession a current permit issued pursuant to Section 123 of this title. Only those species listed on the permit for harvest from Districts 12 and 13 may be taken.

(i) Improvements of aquaculture leases.

(1) Oyster Cultivation.
(A) Bottom culture: leases must be improved at an average rate of at least two cases of seed-bearing shell (160 pounds of seed-bearing shell) or 30 bushels of shellfish one or more years of age per acre over the allotted acreage per year. Improvements by unattached, single seed (less than one year old) shall consist of planting an average rate of 10,000 single seed per acre per year over the allotted acreage. Term of improvement shall be four years for seed-bearing shell and three years for oysters one or more years of age.

(B) Off-bottom culture: leases must be improved at an average rate of at least one case of seed-bearing shell (80 pounds of seed-bearing shell), or 15 bushels of oysters one or more years of age per acre over the allotted acreage per year. Improvement by unattached single seed (less than one year old) shall consist of planting an average rate of 5,000 single seed per acre per year over the allotted acreage. Term of improvement shall be four years for seed-bearing shell and three years for oysters one or more years of age.

(C) Production requirements: the annual harvest rate shall be an average of 2,000 oysters per acre (over one year of age) over the allotted acreage effective three years after the effective date of the lease. Harvest reports shall be recorded in the form of a receipt in quadruplicate furnished by the department. The triplicate copy shall be delivered to the department on or before the first and sixteenth day of each month.

(2) Miscellaneous Aquatic Species.
(A) A lease of state water bottoms for the cultivation of species other than oysters will include minimum planting and harvesting requirements for the species to be cultivated to insure that water bottoms so encumbered will be used for the purpose intended.

(B) Harvest amounts shall be recorded in the form of a receipt in quadruplicate furnished by the department. The triplicate copy shall be delivered to the department on or before the first and sixteenth day of each month.

(j) As proof of use, holders of aquaculture leases shall submit to the department office designated in the lease agreement, a written declaration under penalty of perjury showing the date, quantity of species and acreage in each planting, also including a map showing acres, amounts and dates planted.

1. New subsection (c)(7) filed 7-14-86; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 86, No. 29).
2. Amendment of subsection (d) filed 7-25-88; operative 7-25-88 (Register 88, No. 32).
3. Amendment of subsection (c)(7) filed 4-14-89; operative 5-14-89 (Register 89, No. 16).

Note: Authority cited: Sections 1050, 8500, 15003, 15101, 15200, 15400 and 15408, Fish and Game Code. Reference: Sections 1050, 8500, 15003, 15101 and 15400, Fish and Game Code.

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