Coastal-reserve process coming to SoCal in early '08

Ed Zieralski
San Diego Union-Tribune
12/06/2007

As expected, California Resources Secretary Michael Chrisman announced that the process of establishing coastal reserves under the state's Marine Life Protection Act, which has pitted fishermen against environmentalists along the central and north-central coast, will come to southern California in early 2008.

Chrisman announced the time frame for the final three coastal-reserve phases during a Fish and Game Commission meeting Thursday in Sacramento. All five phases must be finished by 2011.

The commission's first review phase, California's central coast, ended earlier this year. Phase 2 is being completed on the north-central coast, from around Alder Creek/Point Arena to Pigeon Point.

The review process had been expected to move north, but Chrisman said Thursday that Phase 3 will be Southern California, from Point Conception to the Mexican border. That will include areas off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Chrisman said data collection will begin early next year. State conservation officials will begin studying what areas will be off-limits to recreational and commercial fishing. The region already has coastal reserves, but they might be expanded through the review process.

Phase IV will be the north coast, from Alder Ceek to Oregon. Phase V will involve San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Carquinez Strait.

“This announcement represents a very significant milestone we achieved together,” Chrisman told the commission Thursday. “The success of the last three years working with scientists, fishermen, community leaders, the environmental community – it's paying off. We're creating a network of protected areas to safeguard the state's marine life and habitat, specific areas where recreational activity will be limited.”

Chrisman said the Marine Life Protection Act policymakers are building on the model they created for the central coast and the one they're in the process of creating off the north-central coast.

“This truly is a national model, and there will be a lot of good to come out of it,” Chrisman said.

He told the commissioners that this will “help us get to the end game.”

The Legislature established the foundation for a statewide network of coastal reserves in 1999, when it passed the Marine Life Protection Act. The law was strengthened by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission, which declared that the nation's oceans are in crisis.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated that he is committed to protecting and restoring California's ocean and also is backing the goals of the MLPA.

Environmentalists and fishermen, while often united on the need to help preserve California's fisheries, have clashed over the size and location of coastal reserves.

Fishing organizations such as United Anglers of Southern California, the Coastside Fishing Club, the Sportfishing Association of California and the American Sportfishing Association have formed the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans to try to preserve access to various recreational fishing grounds.