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California State Marine Fish
Adoption of the official state marine fishWay back in 1971, the California Department of Fish and Game recommended that the garibaldi be fully protected and not taken for sport or commercial purposes because of relatively limited stocks, poor acceptance as food, and high aesthetic value. The garibaldi's aesthetic value, highlighted by its brilliant orange color, eclipsed its value as a food source. Not much came of this recommendation. Then the saltwater aquarium industry targeted the garibaldi because of it bright color and relative ease of capture. Legislation was passed in 1993 that was designed to protect the garibaldi from overharvesting. The legislation required that live capture required a marine aquaria collector's permit and protected the garibaldi from capture during breeding season, specifically from February 1 through October 31. There were reports however, that commercial collection had reduced this fish in areas that sport scuba divers frequented. In 1994 Assemblyman Bill Morrow introduced Assembly Bill No. 77 to further protect the garibaldi by enacting a moratorium to allow the resource to recover. This bill was backed by Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, an organization whose mission is to "...explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet." Within this bill, Assemblyman Morrow embedded Section 2 that read
Amendments in the Assembly and in the Senate regarding the protective sections of the bill slowed passage in both houses. Never in question was the section specifying the garibaldi as the official state marine fish. First read in the Assembly in January, 1995, Bill Morrow's bill was finally passed in the Senate in September of the same year. On October 16, 1995, AB No. 77 was approved by Governor Pete Wilson and the garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) became the official state marine fish of the State of California. In 1947, California adopted the brook trout as its official state fish by Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 52. California LawThe following information was excerpted from the California Government Code, Title 1, Division 2, Chapter 2. CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE
425.6. The garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) is the official state marine fish. Source: California State Legislature:California Law, Government Code, (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html), February 7, 2008.
Additional InformationState Fish: Complete list of official state fish. |
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