(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The commercial fishing industry of the North Coast has been greatly affected by decisions made by federal and state agencies concerning the health of the salmon resource and the consequent shortening or closing of the season, further impacting the already economically depressed region.

(2) Sportfishing on the North Coast, a staple of the tourism industry of the region, could be substantially affected by the limitations of the salmon seasons.

(3) The method of determining salmon escapement counts on only the Klamath River is inadequate for determining the overall health of the salmon resource in northern California waters and consequent decisions regarding the commercial, sport, and Indian salmon fisheries in those waters because it does not take into consideration the escapement figures on the Eel River and the Smith River.

(b) The department shall use present assessment methods to assess the salmon escapement count on the Eel River and the Smith River, as well as the Klamath River, systems, employing out-of-work fishermen, where possible, to do the counts with department personnel in supervisory capacities. Those figures shall be used by the commission and the department in all reports, recommendations, and decisions concerning the establishment of the commercial and sportfishing seasons in the state waters and in all recommendations to the Pacific Fishery Management Council or other regulatory agencies. This program shall be a priority for funding under the Fisheries Restoration Act of 1985 (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 2760) added to Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code by Senate Bill No. 400 of the 1985–86 Regular Session).

(c) The department shall install sonar fish counting devices on the Klamath River system as a three-year test program to determine the accuracy of the devices, and shall make recommendations to the Legislature by January 1, 1990, as to their accuracy and whether they should be installed on other river systems. Present assessment methods shall continue on the Klamath River system during the test period as a control mechanism.

(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 1231, Sec. 2.)