(a) The director shall appoint a Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee consisting of nine members who shall serve without compensation. The members of the advisory committee shall be selected as follows:

(1) Six members who are not officers or employees of the department. The six members shall be residents of California and meet the following requirements:

(A) Two members shall reside north of the southern boundary line of Marin County and a line extending due east from the easternmost point of Marin County located in San Pablo Bay. The two members shall be selected from nominations submitted by the Northern California Shellfish Assessment Program or by individuals or organizations that actively participate in the recreational abalone fishery, except that not more than one of the members selected shall be an active or former commercial abalone diver or involved in commercial seafood processing or marketing.

(B) Two members shall reside south of the southern boundary line of Marin County and a line extending due east from the easternmost point of Marin County located in San Pablo Bay and north of the boundary between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and a line extending due east from the easternmost point in that boundary line. The two members shall be selected from nominations submitted by the Central California Council of Divers, the Southern California Shellfish Assessment Program, the Northern California Shellfish Assessment Program, or by individuals or organizations that actively participate in the recreational abalone fishery, except that not more than one of the members selected shall be an active or former commercial abalone diver or involved in commercial seafood processing or marketing.

(C) Two members shall reside south of the boundary between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties and a line extending due east from the easternmost point in that boundary line. The two members shall be selected from nominations submitted by the Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers, the San Diego Council of Divers, the Channel Islands Council of Divers, the Southern California Shellfish Assessment Program, or by individuals or organizations that actively participate in the recreational abalone fishery, except that not more than one of the members selected shall be an active or former commercial abalone diver or involved in commercial seafood processing or marketing.

(2) One member shall represent the department in enforcement activities and shall be selected from personnel in the Wildlife Protection Division.

(3) Two members shall be marine scientists who are or have been involved in abalone research at universities, state universities, or in state or federal programs. Not more than one of the persons shall be an officer or employee of the department.

(b) No member shall be involved in or profit from the culture for sale (commercial aquaculture) of abalone.

(c) The advisory committee shall meet at least once each calendar year to review proposals and recommend to the director projects and budgets for the expenditure of fees received pursuant to Section 7149.8. The committee may review progress reports and the results of projects funded under this article and make recommendations to the director regarding abalone resource management.

(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 787, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1998.)