(a) Except as specified in subdivision (b), the commission shall award water bottom leases to the highest responsible bidder, if the bid meets or exceeds the minimum annual rent established by the commission, which shall not be less than two dollars ($2) per acre, for all species cultivated, unless the acreage applied for is 10 acres or less, in which case the minimum acceptable rent shall be ten dollars ($10) per acre. The annual rent for any lease in effect on January 1, 1983, for the cultivation of oysters shall be one dollar ($1) per acre until the expiration thereof. The commission may reject any or all bids for the lease of state water bottoms if it deems the rejection to be in the public interest.

(b) Fees for marine finfish aquaculture leases shall, at a minimum, be sufficient to pay for the costs of administering the marine finfish leasing program, and for monitoring and enforcing the terms of the leases.

Terms Used In California Fish and Game Code 15406.5

  • Aquaculture: means that form of agriculture devoted to the propagation, cultivation, maintenance, and harvesting of aquatic plants and animals in marine, brackish, and fresh water. See California Fish and Game Code 17
  • Commission: means the Fish and Game Commission, and "commissioner" means a member of the Fish and Game Commission. See California Fish and Game Code 30
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Fish and Game Code 83
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Fish and Game Code 73

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 36, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2007.)