Posted by Eric Frasco on April 27, 2001 at 09:28:13:
In Reply to: Channel Islands Marine Reserves posted by Swani on April 25, 2001 at 12:45:12:
Folks:
At the last Nearshore Fishery Management Advisory Committee, California Department of Fish and Game announced that they are submitting a plan to the DFG Commission that will propose 15% of the coastline be converted to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These would be "No-Take" areas, with a variety of definintions of No-Take, including no-take of Marine life, geological resources, "cultural" resources, and so on.
The areas will be determined by scientific evaluation on a species by species basis, so that spawning grounds, sheltered areas for juveniles, and specific habitat areas (as opposed to areas where the species are not present) will be priority areas for designation as MPAs. The MPAs will not be limited to the nearshore fishery, additional areas will be set aside for many of the species that are sought by commercial and recreational fishermen (scuba divers taking game fall into the recreational consumptive user group, and scuba divers who photograph and observe fish fall into the recreational non-consumptive user group, and the concerns of both groups are recognized by DFG).
In addition, since these areas will essentially set aside large portions of the biomass, the catch/take effort shall be reduced in the areas that remain open, therefore affording them a level of protection against overfishing.
This is an on-going effort which is mandated by the Marine Life Protection Act.
I'll post more information as it becomes available.
-Eric-