Fish & Game panel to weigh changes to coastal waters plan
Melissa Pamer
The Daily Breeze
03/02/2010
At a meeting in Ontario on Wednesday, the state Fish and Game Commission is expected to address unresolved issues related to a plan to restrict or end fishing in nearly 400 square miles of Southern California coastal waters, including popular areas off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Commissioners are set to weigh changes to the plan - developed over more than a year of sometimes contentious meetings under the Marine Life Protection Act initiative - that have been suggested by Department of Fish and Game staff.
At a packed meeting in December, the commission voted to begin an environmental review of the plan, which was meant to be a compromise between regional fishing and environmental interests.
The proposed changes to the plan are needed in part because of conflicts with other regulatory agencies that have ongoing activities in some of the proposed closure areas.
State staff has recommended giving permits to allow the continuation of those activities, which include water quality sampling and mitigation of the Palos Verdes Shelf's underwater pesticide deposit.
