CalOceans News

South coast MPA plans available for public review

The final three stakeholder plans for a south coast marine protected area network are now online.

After nearly a year of study and negotiations, the regional stakeholder group was divided into three teams: one focused on conservation, one on fishing, and a third “middle ground” team was charged with creating a compromise plan with cross-interest support.

The conservation group focused on quality over quantity, designing an efficient network that will deliver quick and substantial benefits with fewer protected areas. Their plan would protect ecological hot spots like Naples Reef, Point Dume, the western half of Rocky Point and the southern half of La Jolla’s reef while leaving nearly 90 percent of coastal waters open for fishing.

The middle ground plan tries to balance the needs of different user groups, but still includes some protection for key sites like Point Dume, Naples Reef and La Jolla.

The fishing group’s proposal would provide the least conservation benefits, since it was designed to leave the best habitat open for consumptive use. Their plan fails to provide any protections at iconic places like La Jolla, the Gaviota Coast and south Laguna.

The three plans each protect similar percentages of the ocean (16% total in marine protected areas, and about 12% in fully protected marine reserves). The real difference is the quality and diversity of habitat. Protecting better quality habitat will produce bigger gains in ecosystem health and productivity.

• Tags:
• final stakeholder proposals
• Marine Life Protection Act
• mlpa
• ocean protection
• South Coast
• stakeholder plans
• south coast process
• regional stakeholder group