CalOceans News
Showing all articles with tag: south coast MPAs.
A Happy New Year for the Ocean!
December 31st, 2011Tomorrow, Southern California will celebrate the grand opening of a series of underwater parks, or “marine protected areas,” that includes wildlife hot spots such as the La Jolla kelp forest, Laguna tidepools, and Catalina Island's coral gardens. These parks will join a growing system that currently dots the shore from Santa Barbara to Mendocino, and will soon stretch the length of California’s coast.
California will be the first state in the nation to develop a science-based statewide network of marine protected areas, protecting productive reefs, kelp forests and tide pools. The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), enacted in 1999 with bipartisan support, called for this network of protections to improve the health of California’s ocean wildlife and habitats.
“Our nation has been protecting treasured areas on land for 150 years, and now California is doing the same for our ocean, through the Marine Life Protection Act,” said Karen Garrison, Oceans Program Co-Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “From Point Reyes to Big Sur to La Jolla, the state is creating Yosemites of the sea so future generations can experience their grandeur.”
“After decades of treating the ocean as inexhaustible, California has turned the tide towards restoring its legacy of abundant sea life,” said Kaitilin Gaffney, Pacific Program Director of Ocean Conservancy. “California’s new protected areas are a smart investment in a healthier ocean and a more sustainable coastal economy.”
The marine protected areas going into effect January 1 were designed by local citizens, including fishermen, surfers, conservationists and business leaders, to protect productive ocean areas while leaving about 90% of the coast open for fishing (see a map of fishing areas left open). Many of the are located alongside public beaches and state parks, creating great opportunities for education, research, and recreation.
California’s coast and ocean generate $22 billion in revenue and drive over 350,000 jobs each year, and more than 90 percent of visitors comes to walk the beach, dive, surf, swim, or kayak, making the new ocean parks a smart investment in the region's environmental and economic health.
Scientists: Marine protected areas benefit fish and fishermen
January 7th, 2010A new study by Christopher Costello, economist and professor with UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, provides further proof that ocean protection is a win-win for the economy and environment.
Costello published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week explaining that, with the science available, we can conserve fish and eat them too.
Marine protected areas, when placed in the hot spots where fish and shellfish feed and breed, can help rebuild fish stocks and boost fishing industry profits.
Costello, who sits on a panel of science experts helping to guide implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), pointed to the south coast MLPA process as an example of science-based ocean protection that would benefit both sea life and people.
He said the excellent information we have about southern California's marine life and habitats means local stakeholders can design marine protected areas that will keep coastal waters healthy and productive for the long-term and keep anglers in business.
The compromise plan for southern California's ocean will do just that--it's good for fish and fishermen, and leaves nearly 90% of coastal waters open for fishing. Click here to download a map of popular fishing areas that will remain open.
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