BILL NUMBER: AB 1776	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 13, 2012
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  APRIL 16, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 22, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fong
   (Coauthors: Senators Evans and Leno)

                        FEBRUARY 17, 2012

   An act to amend Section 422.5 of, and to add Chapter 29.5
(commencing with Section 7593.5) to Division 7 of Title 1 of, the
Government Code, relating to state government.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1776, Fong. State government: Pacific leatherback sea turtle.
   (1) Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's
emblems, including, among other things, the poppy as the official
state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and
the California desert tortoise as the official state reptile.
   This bill would establish the Pacific leatherback sea turtle as
the official state marine reptile.
   (2) Existing law designates certain periods of time for specified
purposes of celebration or recognition.
   This bill would designate October 15, 2013, and every October 15
thereafter, as Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day. The
bill would encourage public schools, state and federal agencies,
nongovernmental agencies, fishers, coastal tour operators, and other
interested stakeholders to engage in certain activities, as
specified.



THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) California is a coastal state that is dedicated to the
protection of ocean resources, fisheries, and marine wildlife.
   (b) Sea turtles, fish, seabirds, and marine mammals are a central
component of California's natural heritage and marine biodiversity.
   (c) The Legislature acknowledges that the Pacific leatherback sea
turtle population has experienced a catastrophic decline over the
past two decades and might be on the verge of extinction.
   (d) The Legislature further acknowledges that Pacific leatherback
sea turtles are among the most imperiled of any sea turtle population
in any ocean basin on Earth and that populations of the Pacific
leatherback sea turtle, a 100-million-year-old species that outlived
the dinosaurs, have declined by approximately 90 percent in the last
25 years.
   (e) Pacific leatherback sea turtles foraging off the coast of
California are part of a distinct Western Pacific breeding stock that
nests on beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon
Islands.
   (f) California's coastal waters are high-use foraging areas for
summer nesters from this critically endangered population of Pacific
leatherback sea turtles, according to the National Marine Fisheries
Service.
   (g) Satellite tracking conducted over the past decade has
determined that after nesting hundreds of individual Pacific
leatherback sea turtles swim more than 6,000 miles over 10 to 12
months to cross the Pacific to feed on jellyfish in California
coastal waters every year.
   (h) The Pacific leatherback sea turtles' trans-Pacific migration
involved multiple years of migrating between California coastal
waters during the summer and lower latitude wintering areas without
returning to Western Pacific nesting beaches.
   (i) These movements and foraging strategies underscore the
importance of and the need for ecosystem-based management and
coordinated Pacificwide conservation efforts.
   (j) The Legislature supports efforts to recover and preserve the
Pacific leatherback sea turtle population in oceanic feeding and
migration areas, which are identified as important strategies for
their continued survival.
   (k) On February 26, 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service
designated more than 16,000 square miles of California's coastal
waters, and a total of nearly 42,000 square miles along the United
States West Coast, as critical habitat to protect high-use foraging
areas and primary prey species for the endangered Pacific leatherback
sea turtle under the federal Endangered Species Act.
  SEC. 2.  Section 422.5 of the Government Code is amended to read:
   422.5.  (a) The California desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is
the official state reptile.
   (b) The Pacific leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is
the official state marine reptile.
  SEC. 3.  Chapter 29.5 (commencing with Section 7593.5) is added to
Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, to read:
      CHAPTER 29.5.  PACIFIC LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE


   7593.5.  (a) October 15, 2013, and every October 15 thereafter, is
hereby designated as Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation
Day.
   (b) The Legislature encourages California public schools to
include Pacific leatherback sea turtles in their teaching lessons and
curriculum whenever possible.
   (c) The Legislature encourages state and federal agencies,
nongovernmental agencies, fishers, coastal tour operators, and other
interested stakeholders to establish and participate in a statewide,
voluntary Pacific leatherback sea turtle watch to record sightings of
the Pacific leatherback sea turtle in California and West Coast
waters.
   (d) The Legislature encourages state and federal agencies to build
cooperative relationships with the Western Pacific island nations
where Pacific leatherback sea turtles return to nest in order to
increase awareness and conservation of this critically endangered
species.
   (e) The Legislature urges state and federal agencies to take
proactive conservation measures and prevent further threats to
Pacific leatherback sea turtles and their habitats.