[Water_news] 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS - 4/22/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

April 22, 2008

 

3. Watersheds -

 

Editorial: Ocean reserves will rebuild fish populations

Sacramento Bee – 4/22/08

 

In the ongoing saga that pits man against fish, the news is generally bleak. State and federal regulators have banned salmon fishing on much of the West Coast. Many species of rockfish are depleted, although showing signs of slow recovery.

 

It is against this backdrop that a state advisory committee will meet today on proposals to expand California's network of marine reserves and conservation areas.

One year ago, the California Fish and Game Commission approved 29 of these zones along the Central Coast – ranging from "reserves" where no fishing is allowed to conservation areas where a few species can be harvested.

This week, the commission's Blue Ribbon Task Force will make recommendations on a new set of marine protected areas along the northern Central Coast, stretching 150 miles from Pescadero to Point Arena.

 

The size and location of these areas continues to generate controversy. Environmentalists favor a plan, known as Proposal 4, that would place 14 percent of the northern Central Coast's near-shore waters in no-fishing reserves. Supporters of this option say it would protect key habitats that serve as nurseries for fish, or have the potential to be restored if fishing activity were limited.

 

This proposal, however, is coming under sharp attack from recreational anglers, including charter boat captains who are part of the American Sportfishing Association. They claim that Proposal 4, if implemented, would cause a 30 percent reduction in sales and use-tax revenues from recreational fishing on the northern Central Coast, largely because of its impact on the charter boat industry. They favor an option that would place only 8.9 percent of the coastal waters in marine reserves.

 

There's no doubt that Proposal 4 would close a wider expanse of water to charter and party boats. Unlike the alternative favored by the sport fishing industry, Proposal 4 would create a new 15-square-mile conservation area off the Marin Headlands, near the Golden Gate Bridge, and a 12-square-mile reserve at San Gregorio, near Half Moon Bay.

 

Both of these areas are popular with charter boats. Perhaps too popular. Rockfish, in particular, have declined in size and numbers near the Marin Headlands, so there's a strong argument for giving this area – known as Duxbury – a rest. Yet the proposed conservation area would still allow crab, halibut and salmon fishing (once current salmon restrictions are removed). So it is not as onerous as some fishing advocates claim.

 

Overall, Proposal 4 best embraces the mission of the Marine Protection Act, California's 1999 law that put the state on the forefront of near-shore conservation. We especially like the proposal for a reserve at Sea Lion Cove, at Point Arena. That reef has been hit hard by excessive abalone harvesting in recent years, after its once-private shorefront became publicly accessible.

 

In making its recommendation, the Blue Ribbon Task Force should take a hard look at the economic consequences of Proposal 4, but also note that, for marine reserves to work, they need to include large expanses of the best remaining habitat. The trick for the task force will be finding the right balance so Californians can enjoy the full bounty of the shoreline for generations to come.

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/879188.html