(a) The receipts, reports, or other records filed with the department pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 7700) to Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 8040), inclusive, and the information contained therein, shall, except as otherwise provided in this section, be confidential, and the records shall not be public records. Insofar as possible, the information contained in the records shall be compiled or published as summaries, so as not to disclose the individual record or business of any person.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may release the confidential information described in subdivision (a) to any federal agency responsible for fishery management activities, provided the information is used solely for the purposes of enforcing fishery management provisions and provided the information will otherwise remain confidential. The department may also release this information in accordance with Section 391 or pursuant to a court order, to a public or private postsecondary institution engaged in research under the terms of a legally binding confidentiality agreement, or under other conditions as the commission by regulation may provide.

(c) All forms, logs, books, covers, documents, electronic data, software, and other records of any kind issued or otherwise supplied, directly or indirectly, by the department, the purpose of which is to provide a means for reports, records, or other information to be filed with the department pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 7700) to Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 8040), inclusive, continue to be the property of the department. Those forms, logs, books, covers, documents, electronic data, software, other records, or portions thereof remain the property of the department whether used, unused, attached, or detached from their original binding, packaging, or other medium and shall be immediately surrendered upon demand to a peace officer of the department acting in his or her official capacity, without being altered in any manner.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 285, Sec. 117. Effective January 1, 2008.)