Marine Protected Areas to Be Considered for Central Northern California without Process Improvements.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Resources Agency has announced that a new network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and a two year long effort to further implement the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative will be focused on Central Northern California, from Half Moon Bay north to Point Arena near Mendocino. According to Vern Goehring, California Fisheries Coalition Manager, "We hope that this will be a productive process. We are concerned though, in our experience along the Central Coast we have witnessed that the best available science was not used and private funders inappropriately influenced the process. The conservation benefits of existing fishing regulations are being ignored and other factors detrimental to ocean health, including pollution, fail to be considered." Throughout this process, the CFC has expressed a multitude of concerns to the Department of Fish and Game, as well as the Governor's office, regarding "lessons learned" from the Central Coast MLPA Initiative process.

Despite reports from respected agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and scientists and increasingly restrictive regulations, the CFC has found an unwillingness to recognize that overfishing is no longer taking place in California. The CFC has publicly testified in countless instances drawing attention to factors such as pollution and coastal development that have large impacts on the health of the oceans that are ignored while MPAs are created to conserve ocean species and habitats simply by stopping fishing. To ensure equity in the process, the CFC recommends the success of existing fishing regulations are recognized and other factors impacting ocean health be more fully addressed. They request the use of all valid and significant science, recognition of the conservation values gained from existing management, and incorporating measures to equitably allocate additional restrictions to all activities impacting the ocean.

The CFC frequently expressed major concerns with the Initiative's Blue Ribbon Task Force as it shelters the Fish and Game Commission from fully carrying out its legal duties. "The Task Force serves as a kind of 'surrogate' Commission with staff hired by a special interest rather then by the responsible public agencies," said Goehring. The CFC recommends equitably engaging all stakeholders to achieve support of MLPA recommendations, the Legislature appropriating all private funds to the Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Game with no controls set by the private funders, screening all advisors for conflicts of interest and using a science based modeling simulation approach so potential outcomes can be tested as part of the process.

The CFC requests that in light of the flaws found in the Central Coast MLPA Initiative process, the Administration rethink its plan to move forward and instead choose to implement a more balanced equitable set of MPAs throughout the state. "We cannot protect the entire ocean by simply piling more restrictions on the backs of fishermen," says Jim Martin, a CFC Trustee and West Coast Regional Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

The CFC supports the full implementation of a MLPA that is intended to protect all aspects of the marine environment, improve knowledge and understanding of marine ecosystems, and maintain representative and unique habitats in an undisturbed an unpolluted state.

About the California Fisheries Coalition:

Established in 2004, the statewide California Fisheries Coalition (CFC) was formed with a single purpose - to provide a mechanism for recreational and commercial fishing groups to work together in a proactive manner on the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative to ensure a credible, fair and science-based outcome. CFC consists of 23 ocean-dependent recreational and commercial fishing associations, seafood processors, abalone growers and kelp harvesters, contributing $5.5 billion annually to California's economy. Coalition membership encompasses more than 14,000 commercial fishermen, in excess of 4,000 fishing vessels, several million recreational anglers and more than 200 seafood companies. Approximately 172,000 people are employed by CFC partner businesses. For more information and copies of the peer review reports, visit www.cafisheriescoalition.org or call (916) 444 - 8194.