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Zone 1 in place for California's no-fishing plan
Los Angeles -
Fishermen in small towns along the central coast fear they will no longer be
able to supply local restaurants with respectable "catches of the day."
Waterfront boating operators say scenic tours and sport fishing could become
too expensive or go extinct. And some local officials say the "quaint fishing
village" look could fade into yesteryear, replaced by communities of modern
condos.
But leading environmental groups say the new plan is the only way to sustain
California's marine resources and world-famous bounty of rockfish, squid,
tuna, jack mackerel, and hake.
Eight years after California made world headlines with landmark legislation
to create a mosaic of no-fishing zones along its coast, the first step of its
giant master plan kicked in last Friday. The state will ban or severely
restrict fishing in more than 200 square miles of ocean off the central coast
from San Luis Obispo to Monterey.
"This is the first big step in helping California ensure that it will have
sustainable marine resources into the future," says John Ugoretz, habitat and
conservation program manager for the California Department of Fish and Game.
"While some people feel we are taking away their freedom and don't like the
idea … we think that is a short-term sacrifice and that this is a must if our
children and grandchildren want to have a healthy environment and a place to
fish."
Long pushed by state environmentalists who have wanted to protect the
ecosystem off the California coast – including undersea plants, waterfowl,
seals, and birds – the preservation issue really caught fire in December
2006, when widespread reports came out that one-third of the world's fish
species have declined by more than 90 percent. But there has also been
disagreement over key issues – including precisely where the zones should be
and what fish need to be protected or exempted – and animosity has arisen
over which groups of stakeholders are making the most sacrifices.
"We keep hearing from the environmentalists that everyone has to compromise a
little to make this all work, but we [fishermen] seem to be the only ones who
make sacrifices," says Vern Goehring, manager of the California Fisheries
Coalition, which represents fishing associations and seafood processors.
First zone of five
Made up of marine protected areas (MPAs), the newly designated zone off the
central coast is the first of five that will eventually line the entire
1,100-mile coastline of California. It is mandated by the Marine Life
Protection Act, which passed by a 2-to-1 margin in the state Legislature in
1999.
The state Fish and Game Commission approved this first region in April after
years of negotiations with coastal residents, fishermen, scientists, and
environmentalists. Similar rounds of discussions are now under way concerning
the next zone, which will cover state waters extending three miles from the
shore and from San Mateo County to Mendocino County.
One continued point of contention is over the quality of science that has
gone into decisionmaking. While there seems to be agreement over the
depletion of fish stocks worldwide, many say that California, by virtue of
better past management of its coastal waters by federal regulations, is
largely exempt from those depletions. |
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