A savings plan for our ocean

A savings plan for our ocean

On November 10, the Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force voted unanimously to recommend a compromise ocean protection plan for southern California.  Their plan—which will create a string of underwater parks, or marine protected areas, along the coast from Santa Barbara to the border with Mexico—is an important step in the right direction.  It includes critical protections for iconic places like south La Jolla, Point Dume, and Naples Reef while leaving nearly 90% of the coast open for fishing.   However, it falls short of scientists' recommendations at Rocky Point and Catalina Island. 

The Task Force will present their recommendation to the California Fish & Game Commission on December 9, and the Commission is expected to make a final decision early next year.  

The Marine Life Protection Act Science Advisory Team emphasized the importance of protecting high quality habitats where fish and invertebrates feed and breed.  A new study by UC Santa Cruz biologists supports this recommendation. 

The study, published in the scientific journal PLos ONE, shows that fully protected marine reserves can restock waters outside of their boundaries, improving fishing conditions nearby.  The biologists monitored 58 sites in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and found that baby fish born in marine reserves drifted along the coast to open areas where they could be caught by local anglers. 

Study co-author Richard Cudney-Bueno describes marine reserves as investment banks for fish.  The more you invest in protecting big fertile fish (who produce exponentially more young) the more interest you can collect as the babies disperse in ocean currents. 

The location of marine reserves is critical--you have to protect high quality habitat in order to maximize returns.  Luckily, southern California's new marine protected area plan would create ocean sanctuaries where big fertile fish, and other plants and animals, can grow and multiply.

We need your help to ensure this vital effort succeeds!  Please contact the Fish & Game Commission to let them know the compromise plan recommended by the Blue Ribbon Task Force is the bare minimum required to keep our ocean healthy and productive for generations to come.  You can write them at fgc@fgc.ca.gov.  For more information, visit www.caloceans.org, or check out these short videos about the science and economics of ocean protection.