DFG unveils Central Coast MPAs
A new set of marine protected areas (MPAs) have been announced on the Central Coast.
The move launches the state’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Program, designed in hopes of conserving marine resources for long-term sustainability while attempting to balance recreation and ocean research opportunities along the coast.
“With our action today, California has embarked upon something historic and extraordinary,” president of the commission Richard Rogers said in a statement. “With this vote, we have taken the first step to return our ocean waters to the place they used to be; an ocean full of sustainable abundance.”
The Commission voted unanimously for the 29 MPAs, which represent about 204 square miles, along with 85 square miles of no-take state marine reserves along the Central Coast from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County south to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.
The adopted network includes:
• Año Nuevo SMCA: Allowing commercial kelp harvest by hand only for the existing leaseholder in the area until the lease expires.
• Soquel Canyon and Portuguese Ledge SMCAs: Allowing harvest of pelagic finfish only.
• Edward Ricketts SMCA: Allowing recreational fishing (at all times in the entire MPA) and commercial kelp harvest with the limits recommended by DFG.
• White Rock (Cambria) SMCA: Allowing commercial kelp harvest by hand for the existing leaseholder in the area until the lease expires.
An overflow crowd of more than 200 people attended Friday’s Commission adoption hearing with many providing final testimony on three MPA packaged proposals, including the Commission’s preferred alternative, which was initially voted on at the Commission’s August 2006 meeting in Monterey. Each proposal underwent the required state environmental reviews and regulatory analysis.
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How does Friday's announcement affect you? Comment below.
The move launches the state’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Program, designed in hopes of conserving marine resources for long-term sustainability while attempting to balance recreation and ocean research opportunities along the coast.
“With our action today, California has embarked upon something historic and extraordinary,” president of the commission Richard Rogers said in a statement. “With this vote, we have taken the first step to return our ocean waters to the place they used to be; an ocean full of sustainable abundance.”
The Commission voted unanimously for the 29 MPAs, which represent about 204 square miles, along with 85 square miles of no-take state marine reserves along the Central Coast from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County south to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.
The adopted network includes:
• Año Nuevo SMCA: Allowing commercial kelp harvest by hand only for the existing leaseholder in the area until the lease expires.
• Soquel Canyon and Portuguese Ledge SMCAs: Allowing harvest of pelagic finfish only.
• Edward Ricketts SMCA: Allowing recreational fishing (at all times in the entire MPA) and commercial kelp harvest with the limits recommended by DFG.
• White Rock (Cambria) SMCA: Allowing commercial kelp harvest by hand for the existing leaseholder in the area until the lease expires.
An overflow crowd of more than 200 people attended Friday’s Commission adoption hearing with many providing final testimony on three MPA packaged proposals, including the Commission’s preferred alternative, which was initially voted on at the Commission’s August 2006 meeting in Monterey. Each proposal underwent the required state environmental reviews and regulatory analysis.
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How does Friday's announcement affect you? Comment below.
posted by BSlim at
2:03 PM
1 Comments:
The Harvey Street launch in Cambria was in my opinion the best kayak fishing in SLO County. A week before the last FG Commission meeting I located and questioned two people from the stakeholders group. Neither could recall any kayak input for the Cambria Reserve. I asked if they had any ideas on how the northern boundary of the Cambria Reserve was established?” One of the stakeholders said that it “started with Package 2”, and seemed to have been a “bone thrown” to the Norris Reserve guy.
Sure enough, I found that the Cambria SMR was born out of Package 2 where it was originally named the Ken Norris SMR. This name is significant as I think it points to the original intent of this Reserve. The intent, it appears from written comments, was to tie the Ken Norris Marine Reserve to the terrestrial reserve of the same name, “Ken Norris”. The director of this terrestrial Reserve happened to be a member of the Regional Stakeholder Group (Don Canestro). This is the “bone that was thrown”. This was the deal that was struck that ignored us and our long established use of this resource. Integration of marine reserves with terrestrial reserves is clearly outside of the MLPA’s goals.
The only letters in the public comments that pertained to the Cambria Reserve and included the term "kayak" were mine. I could find no other comment or reference that even mentioned the existence of these fishing grounds or mentioned any personal local experience or knowledge within the Marine Terrace area. And right to the very end Ugoretz referred to Lampton Cliffs as the kayak launch site in Cambria. This statement clearly exposes a crushing ignorance of this area and the absolute absence of local expertise. Nobody launches at Lampton, ever. The thought of launching there is absurd.
At the last minute the Commission decided to extend the northern boundary further north, gobbling up more coastline than even package 2 recommended. I can’t prove anything but it seems obvious that this was a compromise struck for the concessions made to the commercial fisherman at Point Buchon. We lost the south end of Marine Terrace to the Cambria Fishing Club/Norris deal and the north end of Marine Terrace most likely to a compromise with commercial fishermen.
Huge, huge loss. Some of the best fishing grounds you could ever imagine
cross-posted from NCKA
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