MLPA Task Force Votes to Make Point Dume an MPA

• Department of Fish and Game Will Have Final Say on Plan That Includes State Marine Reserve

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

It’s official, the Blue Ribbon Task Force of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative South Coast Study Region has voted its support for a proposal to submit to the Department of Fish and Game, the agency overseeing the creation of Marine Protected Areas mandated by the MLPA, and a Marine Protected Area for Malibu is part of the plan.
The unanimous decision came late on Tuesday, as the Malibu Surfside News prepared to go to press, after an additional day of testimony and public comment. In the preferred alternative, which must still be approved by the DFG, the waters off of Point Dume will be designated an MPA.
In the BRTP proposal, an area stretching from Paradise Cove to Westward Beach will receive the highest level of protection as a State Marine Reserve. The proposed SMR includes a submarine canyon described by the Science Advisory Team as a rare and vitally important habitat. The SMR also covers a portion of the hotly contested reefs east of Point Dume, which are a favorite fishing area for kayak anglers and the spearfishing community.
The SMR designation prohibits all types of fishing, or extractive, activity but the BRTF clarified at the meeting that fishing boats, including kayaks, are permitted to transit a SMR with catch on board. Non-extract activities would not be restricted.
The BRTF proposal for Point Dume also includes a State Marine Conservation Area extending west of Westward Beach to Lechusa Beach. The SMCA would permit limited fishing activities.
Complete coverage and details will be available on the Malibu Surfside News blog at www.malibusurfsidenews.com and in next week’s issue of The News.