In Reply to: Controversial proposed abalone fishery on San Miguel Island posted by Stephen Benavides on November 29, 2012 at 21:30:45:

Sample letter to Sonke Mastrup:

California Fish and Game Commission
Sonke Mastrup, Executive Director
1416 9th St. Suite 1320
Sacramento, CA 95814
fgc@fgc.ca.gov

Dear Sonke;

Steve Benavides of the Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee (RAAC) has recently advised sport divers of the petition by the California Abalone Association to open an experimental abalone fishery at San Miguel Island.

This is to add my voice to those of others who oppose such a fishery, altogether. I would oppose this fishery even if sport divers were allowed to take abalone at San Miguel along with the commercial interests. It’s a bad idea regardless of who benefits. The current population of abalone at San Miguel appears to fall well below the threshold of population sustainability articulated in the ARMP. Allowing such a fishery at this time would deplete an already threatened population and is contraindicated by the DFG’s own analysis. The revenue produced for private interests and/or the state of California seems a very poor reason to further decimate the abalone population of San Miguel.

Sincerely,

A. Kendall Raine III
T: (213) 233-1504
M:(310) 890-6324