California Fisheries Coalition 2009 Archive
Posted 12/23/2009
Fearing a take-away
The battle to prevent further fishing restrictions along the North Coast was feeding Crescent City well Sunday…. (IndyBay/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/23/2009
The Whalegate Scandal: State Lands Commission Finds MLPA Habitat Data Acquired Illegally
Local fishermen and environmentalists are wondering: if Fugro Pelagos was cutting corners by illegally failing to pay for marine wildlife observers, what other corners did they cut in obtaining the habitat data?… (IndyBay/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/21/2009
The MLPA Process and Peripheral Canal: One Ugly, Environmentally Injust Process
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) and peripheral canal boondoggles, although they may be at first appear to be different issues, are effectively one and the same process…. (IndyMedia/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/21/2009
Laguna Beach residents choose local economy over marine closures
Because of continuing concerns about closures of California’s coastal fishing areas, California’s recreational fishing community decided to examine the City of Laguna Beach residents’ attitudes towards ocean closures…. (BYM Marine & Maritime News/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/21/2009
Close Laguna coast to fishing? Big decision expected Tuesday
A major decision on new protections for ocean life that could include banning fishing off Laguna Beach is expected Tuesday in Los Angeles…. (Orange County Register/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/21/2009
MLPA panel decision due Nov. 10
A Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Blue Ribbon Task Force that delayed a final decision Oct. 22 on choosing among three proposals for creating marine protected areas along the Southern California coast, is expected to render its decision Nov. 10 following a hearing in Los Angeles…. (Del Mar Times/CFC Web site)
Posted 12/19/2009
The MLPA Process and Peripheral Canal: One Ugly, Environmentally Injust Process
Make no mistake about it – Governor Arnold Schwarznegger’s MLPA and peripheral canal boondoggles are effectively one and the same process…. (North Coast IndyMedia)
Posted 11/13/2009
California Fish and Game Commission Weighs in on South Coast Region Marine Protected Areas
On Wednesday, December 9, California’s Fish and Game Commission heard reports and recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) regarding the establishment of new marine protected areas (MPAs) along California’s South Coast from Point Conception to the Mexican border in accordance with the state’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)…. (Daily Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Editorial: Devil in the details
And so we wait. The future of the coast off of Laguna Beach has moved behind the scenes with the completion of a public process for the Marine Life Protection Act…. (Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Fish and Game panel hears views on Marine Life Protection proposal
More than 160 speakers had a minute each on Dec. 9 to tell the Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force and state Fish and Game Commission what they think about proposals for Marine Protected Areas off limits to fishing along the Southern California coast including La Jolla and coastal North County…. (La Jolla Light/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Recreational Boaters of California Support MLPA Proposal #2
Recreational Boaters of California [RBOC] joins the Southern California Yachting Association [SCYA] in urging that the California Fish and Game Commission select Proposal #2 as its recommended preferred proposal…. (CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
New Southern California underwater marine habitats approved
State authorities approved new underwater marine habitats off Southern California’s coast Wednesday, restricting fishing and diving in areas where stocks have been severely depleted in recent decades…. (Contra Costa Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Coast protection plans move to Calif. commission
The California Fish and Game Commission has begun hearing a hotly debated proposal for protecting ocean life and habitat along the state’s south coast…. (Associated Press/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Supervisors back marine life protection funding request
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday chose to support a Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District request for funds to develop a single marine reserve proposal for the state’s Marine Life Protection Act Initiative…. (Eureka Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/13/2009
Enlarged marine sanctuaries lack funding for enforcement
The millions of dollars spent on a decade-long effort to create or enlarge coastal sanctuaries could fail to enhance protection for marine life because the state lacks funding to enforce or manage the project…. (San Diego Union Tribune/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
North Coast counties are working together on the MLPA
The Marine Life Protection Act, passed in 1999, mandates a comprehensive review of existing marine reserves, and, when necessary, allows for the creation of new reserves for marine ecosystem protection…. (Daily Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
Monterey Peninsula fishermen worry about impact of national marine policies on livelihood
Times are tough for Monterey fisherman Pete Bruno. For over a decade, tighter and tighter fishing regulations have slowed his charter fishing boat business to a trickle…. (Monterey County Herald/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
VAN ZANT: Support Proposal 2 to hinder closures
More than 70 people showed up Thursday night to talk to officials involved with the effort to create marine protected areas along California’s coast…. (Long Beach Press-Telegram/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
Schwarzenegger’s MLPA: Marine Life Guardians or Corporate Privateers?
Tom Stienstra, outdoor columnist for the S.F. Chronicle, on Sunday pointed out the absurdity of the people that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently appointed to the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) for the North Coast by listing the appointees and their “qualifications.”… (California Progress Report/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
Marine Protection Option for South Coast Finally Goes to DFG
Task Force Recommendations Are Usually Followed But Contentiousness Is Anticipated… (Malibu Surfside News/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
Fish and Game to cast final vote on marine protected areas
Conservationists and fishing advocates are gearing up for next Wednesday’s California Department of Fish and Game Commission hearing on a proposal to ban fishing off various parts of the Southern California coast, including Point Dume…. (The Malibu Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
MLPA’s Proposed Closures Anger Local Fishermen
Local fishing-industry representatives are expressing disappointment with a recommendation to close part of South Orange County’s coast to fishing under the Marine Life Protection Act…. (San Clemente Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/7/2009
Viewpoint: Good intentions, bad result
Sylvia Earle’s commentary (“A needed sea change for Southern California,” Oct. 22) does a great job of romanticizing the Marine Life Protection Act…. (San Luis Obispo Tribune/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Blue whale’s death incites local emotions, interest and research
More than 70 people showed up Thursday night to talk to officials involved with the effort to create marine protected areas along California’s coast…. (Daily Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Steve Scheiblauer: State’s ocean protection areas won’t work
Will the State’s Marine Protected Areas be a model for dealing with threats from over-fishing, climate change and habitat destruction? No, and here’s why…. (Santa Cruz Sentinel/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Panel delays habitat decision
Saying it didn’t have enough information to pick one of three proposals for marine protected areas along the Southern California coast, a state panel will gather more data before making a decision on Nov. 10…. (La Jolla Light/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Third Division Bay District race a clash of enviro-titans
The hotly contested race for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Board pits two Arcatans with unassailable environmental credentials against each other, stressing longstanding friendships and laying bare generational divisions…. (Arcata Eye/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
State lobster fishery in a pinch for help
If you’re interested in the lobster fishery in California, the Department of Fish & Game has a deal for you. … (SignOnSanDiego/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
MLPA process worries locals
A change in the process for creating marine protected areas on the North Coast has opponents of additional protections feeling sidelined…. (Daily Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Blue whale’s death incites local emotions, interest and research
The news that a 73-foot-long female blue whale had washed ashore Oct. 19 after colliding with a research vessel has resulted in dozens of calls, comments and emails to the newspaper office…. (Fort Bragg Advocate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
MLPAs back on agenda
The process for creating marine protected areas along the North Coast will once again be discussed in Crescent City on Thursday…. (The Daily Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Fish and Game announces MLPA science panel
California Department of Fish and Game Director Donald Koch has announced a panel of science advisors to help develop marine protected areas along the North Coast…. (The Times-Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
MLPA proposal deadline extended six weeks
State Secretary of Natural Resources Mike Chrisman announced Friday that the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative will extend the deadline to submit proposals for North Coast marine protected areas…. (The Times-Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Enviros, Fishermen Force Governor to Extend MLPA North Coast Process
Secretary for Natural Resources Mike Chrisman (right), under intense pressure from a broad coalition of environmentalists, fishermen, seaweed harvesters and Indian Tribes, said Friday the MLPA Initiative will extend the local proposal deadline for marine protected areas on the north coast…. (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
NOAA Contract Boat Kills Blue Whale Off Fort Bragg
Environmentalists and fishermen on California’s North Coast are calling for an independent investigation into the killing of an endangered blue whale off Fort Bragg by a mapping survey boat contracted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…. (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
ABC Ch. 7 in LA Features Long Beach MLPA Rally, CFC
Watch video (ABC 7 Los Angeles/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Ocean Task Force Delays Decision on South Coast Marine Protected Area Plan
The Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force, a governor-appointed advisory group, this week reviewed three marine protected area plans for coastal waters between Point Conception and the border with Mexico…. (San Clemente Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
MLPA Update: Task Force Postpones Decision
A panel charged with recommending new regulations for marine protected areas in Southern California put off making a decision late Thursday, following seven hours of deliberation over three full-day hearings in Long Beach…. (Laguna Beach Independent/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
State panel postpones decision on Rocky Point preserve
A state panel postponed a decision on whether areas of the Palos Verdes Peninsula may be closed to fishing under the Marine Life Protection Act in an effort to protect ocean habitat…. (Torrance Daily Breeze/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Task force postpones ocean decision
A state panel indicated Thursday it will consider establishing a marine protected area off Swami’s Beach in Encinitas that could hurt North County’s lobster and sea-urchin fishing industry, but members put off a decision until next month after a lengthy meeting in Long Beach…. (North County Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Group fails to find preferred fishing closure alternative
Final word won’t come until next month, but San Diego County recreational and commercial fishermen may have avoided huge hits yesterday when the Marine Life Protection Act’s Blue Ribbon Task Force wrapped up its three-day meeting here at the Hilton Hotel…. (San Diego Union Tribune/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
MLPA task force delays vote on no-take marine reserves off Southern California
A state task force failed to reach consensus Thursday on a network of marine reserves and conservation zones to be established off Southern California and will reconvene Nov. 10 in the Los Angeles area to produce a version it hopes will meet conservation goals without severe economic impact…. (LA Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Department of Fish and Game Director Resigns
Donald Koch, the director of the Department of Fish and Game for 18 months, sent his letter of resignation to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today…. (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Southern California anglers, conservationists negotiate ocean protection in Long Beach
A blue ribbon panel will vote today in Long Beach on plans to designate marine protected areas along southern California’s coast…. (Southern CA Public Radio/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Fishing hearing roils waters
Commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, restaurateurs, marine biologists and state authorities packed a raucous public hearing Wednesday as California considers expanding restrictions on fishing zones off hundreds of miles of Southern California’s coast…. (Long Beach Press/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Fishing hearing roils waters
Commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, restaurateurs, marine biologists and state authorities packed a raucous public hearing Wednesday as California considers expanding restrictions on fishing zones off hundreds of miles of Southern California’s coast…. (Long Beach Press/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
A rocky point indeed for California coastal task force
Opposing factions will be watching as a state panel proposes fishing restrictions off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Fish and Game Commission tends to accept such recommendations with few changes…. (LA Times/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Ventura County Star Op-Ed: Something smells with marine reserves
Today, the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force will vote on which of three different marine reserve plans should be implemented along Southern California’s coastal waters…. (Ventura County Star/CFC web site)
Posted 11/2/2009
Fishermen contest plans for Calif. ocean reserves
There’s nothing pacific about the ocean off Southern California these days. A battle over how to establish marine reserves along the coast has roiled the waters with the competing interests of environmentalists, fishermen and seaside businesses…. (Associated Press/CFC web site)
Posted 10/21/2009
A Letter to the Palos Verdes Estates City Council
Dear PVE City Council Members, I think delineating the future risk exposure to environmental litigation for MLPA Prop 1 and 3 will be important for you over the next few weeks. (CFC web site)
Posted 10/21/2009
Final Vote on So. Calif. Marine Protected Areas Thursday, Oct. 22, in Long Beach
CA Fishermen, Supporters to Rally Tomorrow, Oct. 21, Before Final Vote, to Protest Any Unfair Version…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 10/21/2009
An Update of Where Cities and Public Officials Stand on MLPA
Posted 10/14/2009
Fishing Groups Converge for MLPA Rally Today
Anglers from throughout Southern California today will converge on Dana Point Harbor at 2 p.m. for a rally of angler solidarity and a show of support for the plan put forth by Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Workgroup 2…. Read more (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 10/14/2009
Letter from Assemblymember Ted W. Lieu in Favor of MLPA Proposal #2
Dear Blue Ribbon Task Force Members: I fully support the Marine Life Protection Act and the goals of improving our marine ecosystems statewide. … Read more (Press Release/CFC web site)
Posted 10/14/2009
Anglers Protest at Global Climate Summit
Anglers and advocates for retaining open fishing areas rallied outside of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Global Climate Summit in protest of proposed Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) fishing closures, Sept. 30…. Read more (The Log/CFC web site)
Posted 10/14/2009
REGION: Panel finishes work on ocean reserves
It has taken a decade to get to this point, but the goal of a landmark 1999 state law — to create a robust system of protected areas of ocean along the 1,100-mile California coast that preserve the marine environment and boost declining populations of fish — is within reach…. Read more (North County Times/CFC web site)
Posted 10/14/2009
Council backs third MLPA option
Del Mar City Council has selected its preferred plan for the Marine Life Protection Act, one that has minimal impact to Del Mar…. Read more (Del Mar Times/CFC web site)
Posted 10/14/2009
Battle lines drawn around La Jolla marine life protection
A San Diego City Council committee declined today to act on an environmental group’s request to endorse the most stringent of three proposals under the state’s Marine Life Protection Act that would cut off fishing to a large swath of La Jolla…. Read more (San Diego News Network/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Fishermen Protest Schwarzenegger’s Green Hypocrisy at Global Climate Summit
Southern California fishermen exposed the environmental hypocrisy of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a protest in front of the Hyatt Regency Plaza in Los Angeles during the Global Climate Summit on September 30…. Read more (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
A Final Cast for Marine Protection Plans
Controversial plans for creating new marine protected areas along the Southern California coast are nearing a conclusion, and will impact Laguna Beach residents, tourists, fishermen and other ocean-users by the end of the year…. Read more (Laguna Beach Independent/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Ecotrust Studies Justify MLPA Fisheries Fascism, Cultural Genocide
John Lewallen, North Coast environmental leader and co-owner of the Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company, has written a blistering letter to the Ecotrust Corporation, a corporate greenwashing group hired by the Resource Legacy Fund Foundation to remove Indian Tribes, seaweed harvesters, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and abalone divers from the North Coast under the guise of “marine protection.”… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Three final MLPA proposals being considered
he public got its first glimpse of three final round stakeholder plans for a South Coast network of marine protected areas on Sept. 25…. Read more (Del Mar Times/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Sacramento CBS Covers Fishermen Protest of ‘Green’ Governor
Watch video clip (CBS San Francisco/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Fishermen Protest “Green” Governor Schwarzenegger at Global Climate Summit
Posted 10/7/2009
North Coast Rallies Against MLPA – KIEM-TV 3 NBC Eureka
Watch video clips (KIEM-TV 3 NBC Eureka/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Organizers lay out public process for marine life protection areas
In what was billed as an educational workshop Tuesday, staff from the Marine Life Protection Area Initiative — designed to provide varying degrees of protection for offshore habitats and species — laid out the timeline and process for public involvement, but some remained skeptical that the North Coast would have its say…. Read more (The Times-Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
KCBS-TV 2 Los Angeles, KCAL-TV 9 Los Angeles Cover Fishermen Protest of Governor
Watch video clips (KCBS-TV 2 Los Angeles, KCAL-TV 9 Los Angeles/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Take A Stand Event Against MLPA a Big Success
Local environmentalists, fishermen, seaweed harvesters, Native Americans and other supporters of environmental justice showed in force at the “Take A Stand Concert and Seafood Tasting” against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s corrupt Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process in Albion, Mendocino County, on September 22…. Read more (Ventura County Star/CFC web site)
Posted 10/7/2009
Fishermen Protest “Green” Governor Schwarzenegger at Global Climate Summit (photos)
Posted 10/7/2009
Schwarzenegger Celebrates ‘Green’ Policies As He Wages War On Salmon
As Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to wage a relentless war on Central Valley salmon and Delta smelt populations, he today participated in another cynical photo opportunity celebrating his “leadership role” in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to promote the false notion that he is the “Green Governor.”… Read more (IndyBay/CFC web site)
Posted 9/21/2009
Three marine protected area groups proposed
A Marine Life Protection Act stakeholders group and task force debate the ups and downs of the three proposals, which would create marine protected areas off the coast…. Read more (Ventura County Star/CFC web site)
Posted 9/21/2009
Trailerboaters Convoy to Fight Fishing Closures
More than 100 San Diego-area fishing enthusiasts with several dozen trailerboats participated in a convoy Sept. 5 to protest proposed regulations that, depending on the plan that received final approval, could permanently prohibit recreational angling along area shorelines to 3 miles offshore and limit fishing in South San Diego Bay…. Read more (The Log/CFC web site)
Posted 9/21/2009
Chesbro says unity key in MLPA process
Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro said Monday that the North Coast’s best strategy to handle the oncoming Marine Life Protection Act Initiative is to stay united in the face of an administration bent on pressing forward…. Read more (Eureka Times/CFC web site)
Posted 9/11/2009
Proposed sea areas to protect are mapped out
After months of debate about the merits of setting aside parcels of the ocean versus allowing fishing to continue as-is, the process of establishing new marine protected areas got one step closer to completion Thursday when three maps were proposed as potential finalized blueprints for protecting the ocean…. Read more (Ventura County Star/CFC web site)
Posted 9/11/2009
Take A Stand for Local Ocean Food Event
Local ocean food providers urge everyone to come to the “Take a Stand for Local Ocean Food!” Concert and Seafood Tasting at the Albion River Campground on Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon until 8…. Read more & watch video(San Diego 6 News/CFC web site)
Posted 9/11/2009
MLPA Protesting in San Diego on CW & ABC
Watch two videos (CW News/ABC News/CFC web site)
Posted 9/11/2009
State May Change Protected Marine Areas on San Diego’s Coast
A state marine advisory panel meets in San Diego today to discuss the 43 protected habitats off Southern California and any recommendations for adjustments…. Read more & watch video(San Diego 6 News/CFC web site)
Posted 9/3/2009
Coastal Conundrum: The Marine Life Protection Act is good—except when it’s not
Environmentalists are applauding the implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act on the local coastline as a victory for conservationists, for the oceans and for coastal communities…. Read more (The Bohemian/CFC web site)
Posted 8/24/2009
Another Victim of the MLPA propaganda machine
In Matt Horn’s Aug. 12th “My Word” published in the Times-Standard he makes several assertions about the MLPA (Marine Life Protection Act) that are false…. Read more (Eureka Times-Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 8/20/2009
EDITORIAL: Compromise key to coast management
A delicate but necessary struggle over Neptune’s bounty has been playing out near our beaches recently…. Read more (North County Times/CFC web site)
Posted 8/20/2009
Marine Life Protection Act politics hits Humboldt County
The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative is stirring up the waters of the North Coast. While the possibility of more fishing restrictions is enough to raise interest, the most recent controversy centers around the formation of a Science Advisory Team (SAT)…. Read more (The Triplicate/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
Critics decry fast timeline for MLPA
Citizens of Humboldt County should take note of the California Fish and Game Commission’s Aug. 5 action designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the North Central Coast Region (NCC) immediately south of us…. Read more (Times-Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
Del Mar tries to fend off marine reserve designation
DEL MAR — In 1999, the California Legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act to redesign the state’s marine protected areas to safeguard marine life, habitats and ecosystems as well as improve recreational, educational and study opportunities provided by those ecosystems…. Read more (Coast News/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
Sea change
California Fish and Game Commission approves controversial marine reserve; peripheral canal plan proceeds behind closed doors…. Read more (Sacramento News & Review/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
MLPAI ocean privatization breaks new ground
(In part 4 of this series on the Marine Life Protection Act, we look into how the MLPA Initiative fits into the fast evolving history of environmental privatization and how the successes and failures of that movement might impact the Mendocino Coast)…. Read more (Fort Bragg News/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
MLPA: Don’t buy into the lies
Our community is being carefully fed lies to justify closing large areas of our local state marine waters. Our community is being carefully fed lies to justify closing large areas of our local state marine waters…. Read more (Coast Voices/CFC web site)
Posted 8/17/2009
In Case You Missed It: Cathy Reheis-Boyd to chair the MLPA BRTF South Project
California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Announcement… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 8/11/2009
Timing of Marine Life Protection Act not good
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative creates Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that ban all or most types of recreational and commercial fishing…. Read more (Humboldt Beacon/CFC web site)
Posted 8/11/2009
MLPA News Roundup: Monday, August 10, 2009
Posted 8/11/2009
COMMISSION SEALS MLPA DEAL: COMPLETE REPORT: Fish and Game Commission approves North Central Coast closures despite lack of funds
After four hours of public testimony and acrimonious debate among themselves, the Fish and Game Commission voted to put in place the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative’s Integrated Preferred Alternative of fishing closures along the North Central Coast by a vote of 3-2…. Read more (Rich Holland/CFC web site)
Posted 8/11/2009
Marine Reserves Discussion on Mendocino Radio: Fisherman, Ocean Conservancy
Marine Protected Areas- is it really good for the oceans and the fisheries? Guest are local fisherman Jim Martin, who represents local fisherman and seaweed gatherers who have expressed concerns about the MLPA process, and Jennifer Savage from the Ocean Conservancy, whose organization is among environmental groups who have championed the initiative. Listen to recorded broadcast (CFC web site)
Posted 8/11/2009
10 News San Diego: Restrictions May Sink Local Fishing Industry
Posted 8/5/2009
The Double Standard: RSG v. SAT
The MLPA team has structured the R.S.G. decision-making process to give the position held (work product) by the minority of stakeholders the same opportunity to go forward and be used and evaluated by the B.R.T.F. and possibly the F&G Commission as the majority…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 8/5/2009
Senator Patricia Wiggins Letter to Fish and Game Commission
Dear President Gustafson, As the Fish and Game Commission moves towards adoption of Marine Protected Areas on the North Central Coast, I would like to provide input both as the Senator representing Humboldt, Mendocino and northern Sonoma Counties, and as the Chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 8/5/2009
Vote on California marine preserves roiled by board shake-up
An unexpected layer of political drama has been added to the controversy over 30 proposed ocean preserves off the California coast: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday added a voting member to the commission that will decide the fate of the preserves…. Read more (Sacramento Bee/CFC web site)
Posted 8/5/2009
Donald Benninghoven Appointed to the Fish and Game Commission
Donald Benninghoven, 76, of Santa Barbara, has been appointed to the Fish and Game Commission. Prior to retiring, he served as executive director and member of the board for the City-County-School Partnership from 1998 to 2000, a cooperative venture of the California State Association of Counties, the California School Boards Association and the League of California Cities…. Read more (Gloucester Daily Times/CFC web site)
Posted 8/5/2009
Marine protected areas in north-central California up for vote today
Today beginning at 10 a.m. the California Fish and Game Commission will decide on the Marine Life Protection Act issue as it pertains to north-central California…. Read more (Los Angeles Times/CFC web site)
Posted 8/1/2009
‘Overfishing’ Line Has Been Significantly Oversold, Study Shows
A landmark new study of the world’s fisheries released yesterday found that management efforts — especially in developmentally advanced nations, notably in the United States, New Zealand and Iceland — have been effective in reversing declines caused by chronic overfishing…. Read more (Gloucester Daily Times/CFC web site)
Posted 7/31/2009
Study: California has the lowest exploitation rate of fished stocks in the world
The analysis presented in our Science paper shows that the California Current ecosystem has the lowest exploitation rates of any place we examined in the world…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/31/2009
ABC 7 Los Angeles: No Fishing Zones Upset Local Officials (Video)
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative creates Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that ban all or most types of recreational and commercial fishing. On Monday, July 20, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District forwarded a letter to California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman asking for a delay of the MLPA Initiative…. Read more (ABC Los Angeles/CFC web site)
Posted 7/31/2009
The Fight for the Bight
Fishermen and Environmentalists Square Off Over Marine Reserves in Southern California… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/31/2009
Diverse views, high stakes at marine protected areas meeting
A state Fish and Game oversight panel is meeting in Santa Monica to study proposals for limiting access in parts of state waters to protect marine life. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports…. Read more (KPCC/CFC web site)
Posted 7/28/2009
Everyone should take a hard look at Marine Protection Act
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative creates Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that ban all or most types of recreational and commercial fishing. On Monday, July 20, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District forwarded a letter to California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman asking for a delay of the MLPA Initiative…. Read more (Times Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 7/24/2009
Redondo Beach Votes to Oppose MLPA: Objections to proposed no-fishing zones
A statewide effort to create coastal no-fishing zones designed to protect ocean habitat has come under fire from the Redondo Beach City Council, which cited potentially “devastating” economic repercussions from proposed closures off Palos Verdes Peninsula…. Read more (Torrance Daily Breeze/CFC web site)
Posted 7/24/2009
What Officials Are Saying About the Marine Life Protection Act
State and local government officials, Fish & Game commissioners and other environmental leaders have expressed doubt about the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) and even called for the process to be halted…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/24/2009
North Coast Government Agencies Protest Rush to Create Marine Reserves
On Monday July 20, 2009 the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District (District) forwarded a letter signed by three North Coast counties and numerous local governments to California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman asking for a delay in implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/24/2009
POLL: Public Doesn’t Support Total Ocean Bans, Believes in Reasonable Regulation to Accommodate Fishing and Also Protect Species
MONTEREY, Calif. – July 22, 2009 — The Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries (ACSF) has released the results of a national public opinion poll revealing the public’s attitudes about ocean conservation which found that the public strongly wants the ocean to be protected, but not with total marine closures…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/24/2009
Confused about MLPA? + Unfunded mandate vs. funded planning
While the MLPA Initiative hasn’t quite taken over my life — unlike the poor SOBs who volunteered to be stakeholders, — it certainly has taken over my blog. Here are two news stories that I filed for the July 24 Western Outdoor News that I think are important to read if you want to stay up to date on the process…. Read more (Rich Holland’s blog/CFC web site)
Posted 7/21/2009
Sen. Feinstein: ‘I believe in standing up for small businesses that are woven into the rich heritage of our coast’
The thousands of small fishing businesses and harbor community interests represented in the California Fisheries Coalition (CFC) greatly appreciate the following statement included in a recent opinion piece by U.S. Senator Feinstein:… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/21/2009
No way to guard new ocean sanctuaries, state game wardens say
It seems a contradiction: State game wardens oppose creating 30 new ocean sanctuaries on California’s coast to protect sensitive fisheries…. Read more (CFC web site/Sacramento Bee)
Posted 7/15/2009
CA Fish & Game Wardens’ Association Letter: Please Delay MLPA
Dear Ms. Gustafson: Thanks to you and the Commission for recognizing the ongoing plight of Wardens in California. We greatly appreciate the tremendous support from those who understand and value California’s wildlife and its susceptibility…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/15/2009
Wes Chesbro: Show Me the Science behind the MLPA Process
First District Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) released a statement on Friday, July 10, criticizing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fast-track Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process – and urging that North Coast communities be made “equal partners” in the process…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/15/2009
Chesbro: Make communities equal partners in MLPA process
SACRAMENTO First District Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-Eureka) said Tuesday that he is skeptical about the process used to develop a marine life protection bill that even many ocean advocates don’t like…. Read more (Ukiah Daily Journal Staff/CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro Statement Today on MLPA
SACRAMENTO – First District Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) released the following statement today on the process of establishing Marine Protected Areas under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
Vivian Helliwell SIG Resignation Letter
Dear Mr. Ken Wiseman, Mr. Don Benninghoven, and Ms. Melissa Miller-Henson:
I find that I must withdraw from participation in the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Statewide Interests Group (SIG)…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
Marine Life Protection Act study tools miss the mark with local fishers
Fishers, seaweed harvesters and divers, side-by-side with local restaurateurs and retailers, are united against research they suspect is questionable, that’s being undertaken to implement the state’s 1999 Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
The governor’s fishy business
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) was established in California in 1999. The MLPA by law will create Marine Protected Areas (MPA) that in theory will protect breeding populations of bottom fish and other sea creatures…. Read more (Eureka Times Standard/CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
Enforcing a Slippery Issue
As state wildlife officials move closer to finalizing a Southern California coastal protection plan, enforcement has emerged as a significant issue in the debate…. Read more (Long Beach Indepedent/CFC web site)
Posted 7/13/2009
‘End of the Line’ doesn’t have to be
As a documentary, “The End of the Line” makes a strong case for its premise that the planet will run out of wild seafood by 2048 if European and Asian fishing fleets continue to abuse the ocean…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/9/2009
A fundamentally flawed Marine Life Protection Act (by Pat Higgins)
Thanks so much for covering the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) issue. I would like to offer the following response and additional information…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/9/2009
Governor Lounges as Rest of State Scrounges (Rich Holland’s blog)
A story in the L.A. Times today about the players in the state’s ongoing budget crisis mentioned how Governor Schwarzenegger made a remark that he was going to go home and enjoy a good cigar in his Jacuzzi to show how little pressure he felt… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/7/2009
State needs to address county’s ocean pollution
Wednesday, Ventura County beachgoers, surfers, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts will have a chance to weigh in on six different Southern California marine reserve proposals being considered under the Marine Life Protection Act…. Read more (Ventura County Star/CFC web site)
Posted 7/6/2009
NO FISHING ALLOWED
The waters off the Palos Verdes Peninsula have emerged as one of the most contentious areas in a yearslong statewide effort to draw the boundaries of a network of protected no-fishing zones…. Read more (Torrance Daily Breeze/CFC web site)
Posted 7/6/2009
“Environmentalists” Ignore Ocean Pollution in Southern California
It’s pretty unbelievable that a station like KPBS that has many true environmentalists as listeners, would in a conversation about protecting marine life, neglect to bring up the number one environmental problem plaguing Southern California’s ocean waters – pollution…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 7/2/2009
Del Mar, Agua Hedionda Lagoon targeted for reserves
Just about every map of proposed marine protected areas on display at a meeting Monday night had the waters off Del Mar closed to fishing, and Jeff Squires wanted to know why…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 6/30/2009
What’s at Stake in the Marine Life Protection Act?
The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative will hold two open houses in San Diego on Monday, June 29, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbad, and on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. at the Marina Village Conference Center in San Diego…. Read more (These Days/CFC web site)
Posted 6/25/2009
Malibu Gets Its First Look at New Marine Life Protection Law
Malibuites took part in the first public discussion of what might be in store for the local coastline in terms of possible more stringent conservation measures at a public workshop last week that addresed implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act, 10 years after its passage…. Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 6/25/2009
Fish and Game Commissioner Richards fires back at Resources Secretary Chrisman
Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Richards has sent a defiant letter to California Natural Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman to remind him that Governor-appointed commissioners like him are free to act independently and without “undo influence from any source.”… Read more (CFC web site)
Posted 6/24/2009
Ocean Protection Coalition Opposes Corrupted MLPA Process
In 1999 the California State Legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). This Act seeks to protect diversity of marine life and “help sustain, conserve and protect” marine populations…. Read more (North Coast/CFC web site)
Posted 6/24/2009
Several Malibu beaches targeted for marine protection
Activities could be restricted at the beaches if they are included in marine protected areas by the state…. Read more (San Bernadino Sun/CFC web site)
Posted 6/19/2009
Local ocean lovers oppose new state protection plan
A privately-funded state program could turn one quarter of the offshore coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties into underwater parks…. Read more (Fort Bragg Advocate/CFC web site)
Posted 6/19/2009
DFG Commissioner Under Investigation
California Fish and Game Commission member Michael Sutton is being investigated by the Fair Political Practices Commission in response to a complaint filed against him by the Central Coast Fisheries Conservation Coalition, a sportfishing and commercial fishing interest group…. Read more (San Bernadino Sun/CFC web site)
Posted 6/19/2009
Laguna Beach Endorses Citywide Fishing Ban
Laguna Beach’s City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to request that the California Department of Fish and Game give Laguna the highest possible level of marine protection, barring fishing of any kind in Laguna’s coastal waters by declaring the city’s entire seven-mile coastline a State Marine Reserve…. Read more (Laguna Beach Independent/CFC web site)
Posted 6/15/2009
Delay the MPA’s
It’s unfortunate that state regulators seem unwilling to budge on the approaching establishment of Marine Protected Areas off our coast, a move that could severely restrict where fishing is allowed in our local waters despite a dearth of real science…. Read more (Eureka Times)
Posted 6/03/2009
It’s an interesting trip, following the money…
These days, partnerships involving government and private groups for fish and game issues are leading to some pretty strange bedfellows…. Read more (San Diego Union Tribune)
Posted 6/03/2009
Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Richards disappointed in Ken Wiseman and Don Benninghoven
Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Richards is not happy with the latest developments in the South Coast project area in the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative and comments by Resources Agency officials about the next region, the area north of Point Arena to the Oregon border, due to begin meeting this fall…. Read more (CFC Web Site/Rich Holland’s Blog)
Posted 6/03/2009
Special Important Announcement: Critical MLPA mobilization this Thursday June 4th, 2009
Guys and gals, The MLPA Implementation Team has double-crossed fishermen and other consumptives with their blatant bias for the anti-fishing faction. Ed Zieralski, writer for San Diego Tribune called it “Betrayal at its worst in MLPA process.” Paul Leibowitz, writer for Western Outdoor News, called it “Trust Betrayed.”… Read more (CFC Web Site)
Posted 6/03/2009
MLPA process gets more than a little bit fishy, pro-fishing groups claim
A reader shared an interesting observation this week regarding the controversial Marine Life Protection Act process, an ongoing saga that ultimately will set in place a coast-wide network of zones that will become off-limits to fishermen or carry severe restrictions…. Read more (Los Angeles Times)
Posted 6/01/2009
Betrayal at its worst in MLPA process
Fishing interests involved in the Marine Life Protection Act process and those following it closely were outraged this week by a decision made by those running the show…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Posted 5/28/2009
Investigation of Fish & Game Commission Member Begins
The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) disclosed on May 19 that its Enforcement Division has opened a formal investigation into conflict of interest charges against Fish and Game Commissioner George Michael Sutton regarding his votes on the implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Posted 5/19/2009
Jim Kellogg Asks Commission to Put MLPA Process on Hold
As the California Fish and Game Commission was hearing public testimony in Sacramento from anglers, environmentalists and scientists about Marine Protected Area (MPA) alternatives, Commission Member Jim Kellogg received word from the Governor’s office that Schwarzenegger was going to lay off 5,000 more state workers…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Save us from the recklessness of the righteous
Open letter to President Obama, with a copy to Governor Schwartzenegger…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Posted 5/15/2009
Funding Woes May Interrupt Marine Act: Is cost of MLPA too rich for state?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could be getting a letter from the state Fish and Game Commission asking him to delay implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act because of lack of funding…. Read more (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Proposed Marine Preserves Could Eliminate Anglers
A decade after the legislation was passed, the Marine Life Protection Act is now being hammered into shape for Southern California ocean waters, and there are no happy campers in the sport fishing community…. Read more (San Bernadino Sun)
A call to save fishing spots from permanently closing
To all my faithful readers, I ask that you react to the following to help save the fishing spots we have been fishing for nearly 100 years…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Controversy Stirs around the Marine Life Protection Act
A short interview with Dan Bacher, editor of the Fish Sniffer, a fishing publication, about the conflicts of interest with the Marine Life Protection Act…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
Posted 5/12/2009
Opinion: Collaboration on protecting the ocean moves into critical phase
On Thursday in Sacramento, the Fish and Game Commission will hold the last big public comment hearing on a bold new plan to protect coastal waters off California’s north central coast…. Read more (CFC Web Site)
View From The North Coast
For the last 3 mornings I have sat on the hill above Highway 1 watching the ranch and enjoying the view. Watching the same cars, 3 days in a row northbound before the tide and then again watching them go south after the tide. Where are they going?… Read more (CFC Web Site)
Ocean fish fewer, smaller
As environmentalists and fishermen spar over what proportion of coastal Southern California waters should be protected as a sort of ocean wilderness, scientists say one thing is clear: The marine environment along San Diego and nearby counties is far from pristine…. Read more (North County Times)
Posted 5/6/2009
Marine Life Act on North Coast doorstep
It’s coming. The long-awaited, and often dreaded, state program to designate marine havens for sea life is now within reach of the North Coast…. Read more (Eureka Times)
Posted 5/5/2009
Tensions climb at marathon MLPA stakeholder session
“There was no hugging and singing of campfire songs…” That’s how my news story about the recent stakeholder meetings in Oxnard starts…. Read more (Western Outdoor News)
State-commissioned study looks deep into commercial fisheries
The first comprehensive economic study of the state’s commercial fisheries shows an industry with promise but also in peril…. Read more (Eureka Times)
Posted 4/23/2009
Implementation of ocean protections not working
Californians concerned about protecting our ocean should pay attention to the ongoing Marine Life Protection Act process that’s supposed to improve ocean health, biodiversity and marine ecosystems off the coast of California…. Read more (San Francisco Chronicle)
Endangered: SB Channel’s commercial fishermen
The level of awareness and activism of those who live along the Santa Barbara Channel can only be commended. But with all we’ve done to protect the channel from the worst effects of offshore oil and gas development…. Read more (Ventura County Star)
The purpose of the California Fisheries Coalition is to provide a mechanism for recreational and commercial fishing groups to work together in a proactive manner on the MLPA Initiative to ensure a credible, fair and science-based outcome. Participating groups all recognize that by working together and focusing on their core values they increase the likely hood that they will be able to maximize the resource conservation benefits and minimize the detrimental economic impacts derived from improving an MPA network in California. The CFC will pool resources (e.g. knowledge, time, and money) from the participating organizations and persons to increase efficiency and impact for all.
CFC participants agree to respect each other’s expertise and to strive for consensus. They also agree to listen respectfully to each other, seek clarification, stay on the subject at hand, and be flexible when exploring solutions and developing recommendations. Those who find they are unable, for whatever reason, to constructively take part in the CFC collaboration will voluntarily withdraw from participating rather than potentially hinder the work of others.
CFC participants recognize that their respective groups will not necessarily always agree on all marine or fishery policies. That recognition, however, does not preclude the group from working collaboratively on the MLPA Initiative. The companies that support the CFC are:
Alliance of Communities for sustainable fisheries – Monterey Commercial Fishermen’s Assoc.
AAFA – Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Org.
California Abalone Growers – Port Salt Lake Commercial Fishermen’s Assoc.
California Fisheries & Seafood Institute – Recreational Fishing Alliance
California wetfish Producers Assoc – Sea Urchin Harvesters Assoc. – CA
Fishermen’s Alliance of CA – Sea Urchin Processors Assoc. – CA
Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbarba Inc – So. Central Nearshore Trap Org.
Federation of Independent Seafood Harvesters – So CA Trawlers Assoc.
Fishermen’s Assoc. of Moss Landing – Sportfishing Assoc. of CA
Golden Gate fishermen’s Assoc. – Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Assoc.
I.S.P. Alginates Kelp Harvesters – Central Coast Fisheries Corporation Coalition
Kingfisher Trading Inc
