COLLECTION OF BAYS AND ESTUARIES DATA; CONDUCT OF STUDIES

(a) The Parks and Wildlife Department and the board shall have joint responsibility, in cooperation with other appropriate governmental agencies, to establish and maintain on a continuous basis a bay and estuary data collection and evaluation program and conduct studies and analyses to determine bay conditions necessary to support a sound ecological environment. (b) The Parks and Wildlife Department and the board each shall designate an employee to share equally in the oversight of the program studies. Other responsibilities shall be divided between the Parks and Wildlife Department and the board to maximize present in-house capabilities of personnel and equipment and to minimize costs to the state. (c) The Parks and Wildlife Department and the board each shall have reasonable access to all data, studies, analyses, information, and reports produced by the other agency. (d) The studies shall be completed not later than December 31, 1989. Publication of completed studies shall be submitted for comment to both the board and the Parks and Wildlife Department. (e) The board may authorize the use of money from the research and planning fund established by Chapter 15 of this code to accomplish the purposes of this section. That money shall be used by the board in cooperation with the Parks and Wildlife Department for interagency contracts with cooperating agencies and universities and contracts with private sector establishments, as necessary, to accomplish the purposes of this section.