Showdown Is Expected between Ocean Enviros and Fishing Interests as Marine Life Protection Task Force Reconvenes

• Decision on Point Dume Is Among Most Contentious

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

In what is anticipated to be a showdown between conservation and fishing interests, the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative South Coast Study Region will reconvene on Nov. 10 in Los Angeles to complete the final round of the stakeholder process. Point Dume remains at the center of the maelstrom of debate.
The BRTF was scheduled to make its final decisions in October, but the five-member panel postponed the vote after a three-day marathon of testimony from members of the official stakeholder groups, conservationists, fishing interests and the Science Advisory Team.
The meeting became a verbal tug of war between environmentalists and fishing proponents over Point Dume and Palos Verdes, the opposite ends of the Santa Monica Bay. More than 40 Malibu residents made the pilgrimage to support the creation of Marine Protected Area at Point Dume. Members of the local kayak and spearfishing community were also present, to oppose plans to put Point Dume off limits for fishing.
During the South Coast Study Region process, stakeholder groups, working with the official Science Advisory Team developed a series of proposals, or arrays. Each of the three rounds refined and consolidated the proposals until only three were left. The BRTF is charged with selecting the preferred alternative that will be submitted to the Department of Fish and Game, the agency that oversees the MPLAI.
The BRTF passed a resolution at the October meeting to send all three stakeholder work group proposals to the DFG, but they also began the process of constructing a new proposal, cobbled together using elements of Proposal 1, viewed as a compromise between conservation and utilization proponents, and Proposal 2, favored by the fishing community.
The move has been viewed as a victory for fishing interests. Commercial and recreational fishing proponents have lobbied heavily against Proposal 3, the proposal that offers the highest level of protection and most effectively meets the science guidelines, but would also would place a higher number of popular destinations off limits for fishing.
At the October meeting, the BRTF appeared to be leaning toward applying Proposal 2 to Palos Verdes, and Proposal 1 to Point Dume, but with changes. Proposal 1 incorporates a State Marine Reserve, the highest level of protection, from east of the Paradise Cove Pier to Point Dume, and a State Marine Conservation Area, which limits fishing to certain species, from Westward Beach to Lechusa.
At the October meeting, Task force member Meg Caldwell proposed moving the boundary of the proposed Point Dume SMR west of the Paradise Cove pier, leaving a hotly contested submarine canyon and Big Kelp Reef open to fishing, and pushing the western boundary of the SMCA slightly further west to capture a larger area of persistent kelp.
Proposal 1 stakeholder group member Sarah Sikich was concerned by the suggestion. Sikich, a Malibuite, told the Malibu Surfside News in an interview after the meeting that in her view, the modified plan will not meet the science guidelines. “Proposal 1 was already a compromise,” Sikich said. “Without protection for the canyon, the SMR will not be effective.”
“[When we developed the proposal] we made sure that we left Escondido [a popular kayak launch site] open. Kayakers still have access to the BKR but critical habitat [in the submarine canyon] would have at least some protection,” Sikich said. “Without that, it isn’t going to work.”
On Oct. 9, the SAT will meet via teleconference to review the BRTF’s options. The meeting can be viewed live online. On Nov. 10, the BRTF will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 West Century Blvd., LA. Public participation is encouraged. More information on both meetings, including links to the live video feed, is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa