Ok guys, one more post... Here's the date of the meeting involving the Marine Protection Areas, as Pete has described, up and down the coast. The meeting for our area will be held on Tuesday, July 24 at the South Veteran's Memorial Building, 112 West Cabrillo Blvd. in Santa Barbara (zipcode: 93101). This is going to be the first meeting that I'm aware of regarding the MPA's so a strong fisherman turnout is definitely in order. Like I said in the previous post, every person, literally counts.
-Brian

What Time??

I believe it's at 7PM.

A suggestion to those that plan to attend these meetings:

Don't just go there to protest and voice your opinion. Make sure you learn what this MLPA is before you go and get all the info you can about your local proposed areas. The law has been passed and the only way to stop it is an injunction, and that's not likely considering you'd be fighting the state of CA. So IMHO the best thing to do is push for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)instead of Marine Reserves. In MPAs, fishing may still be allowed with only certain species designated as "no take." Find out what the target species are for the area of your concern and if it's primarily rockfish or some type of isopod, fishing for pelagics in the area obviously would have no effect on the target species.

Here's a couple of links to read before you go and possibly print and bring along for reference:

<A href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fgc&group=02001-03000&file=2850-2863">Marine Life Protection Act as it appears in the F&G code</A>

<a href="http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/index.html">Marine Life Protection Act Website with info about proposed closure areas and more</A>

The best way to make an impact at such a meeting is to conduct yourself professionally, be respectful, and know your stuff. Let us all know how the meeting goes.

TL,
Adam

LAST EDITED ON Jul-14-01 AT 11:27 PM (PST)

Read Adam's post above - he has some very valuable information. Go to his links and learn everything you can about the Marine Life Protection Acts. If we go in there pissed off we will get no where. Being genuinely concerned about the resource we use and its future are very important.

I have corresponded with a member of The Marine Life Protection Act Planning Team. He contacted me after receiving my initial proposal I sent to Paul Reilly at the DFG - I got the feeling they were impressed with my proposal. With information I gathered through our correspondence I have updated and simplified my proposal with three plans that I believe (and get the feeling from the team member) are quite possible. Working together toward a common goal is our best chance.

Here is the link to my current proposal: http://www.leapinbass.com/goleta_cove_proposal_revision_2.pdf

Again, you may not agree with the catch and release or artificial lure only policy but it's better than not fishing there at all - right? Besides from what I've gathered it doesn't seem like they are considering those options anyway (which I personally feel is rediculous).

Also - if you haven't yet send an e-mail and/or letter to Paul Reilly

Paul Reilly
Department of Fish and Game
20 Lower Ragsdale Drive Suite 100
Monterey, CA 93940
preilly@dfg.ca.gov

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

This is the "criteria and rationale for recommendation" for the Coal Oil Point Reserve on the DFG website (basically the reasons they chose that area):

This section of coast includes Isla Vista Reef, a very productive subtidal reef with abalone and abundant lobster, two coastal estuaries (Devereaux and Goleta Sloughs), and several intertidal rocky reefs. The adjacent estuaries serve as nursery habitat for a number of marine fish. They are rare remnants of much more extensive estuarine systems that were once prevalent along the Southern California coastline. One of the estuaries, Devereaux Slough, is part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, a terrestrial and wetlands reserve that promotes education and research activities and serves thousands of public visitors each year.

First question: Is anywhere in that cove considered an intertidal rocky reef?

If not then the only thing the area from Coal Oil Point to Campus Point doesn't include is the Goleta Slough and the mouth of the Goleta Slough is not included in the original plan anyway.

Just an observation but it may be something we can use.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

As far as I know, the only thing inhabiting those estuaries as far as fish go, are mullet (as previously discussed at length... :-)). And, as you said, the inlet is on the other side of the pier, so unless these reserves are now travelling on land... (sounds like Jurassic Park, doesn't it?). And, no there are no intertidal rocky reefs in Goleta Beach. The only rock areas I'm aware of in that area are on campus point, and the big rock by the parking lot. I don't think they're considered reefs.
-Brian

From what I've been told by my contact the estuaries used to be breeding areas for a number of fish. They would like to try and have this happen again. Of course they have to get all the people who live at Goleta Beach in campers in the parking lot that is "heavily monitored" to stop pissing in them :) I guess there is an intertidal reef just to the east of Campus Point that would not be in the reserve if the boundary was moved to Campus Point. It is not in the cove itself but one of the objectives of the MLPA is to make the boundaries clear landmarks so straight perpendicular lines from the coast is the only option. A clear boundary is one of the reasons they original chose the pier.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Sent Paul Reilly an e-mail today. Somebody named Steve Gaines replied. I guess he is working with Leapin Bass on the issue. Hopefully they listen to the people who actually live and fish in the area they are trying to close. Thanx for your efforts Pete. See you on the 24th
Another Brian

LAST EDITED ON Jul-16-01 AT 02:26 PM (PST)

Thanks Brian. Yes, Steve Gaines and I have been corresponding numerous times since last week. I wasn't sure he wanted his identity revealed in fear that he would be overloaded with e-mails. Constructive ones are fine but there are a lot of people out there that just want to b*tch about the MLPA and he shouldn't have to deal with them as he is not the DFG. Of course his name is on the DFG website so anyone could have found him. So... I would still recommend e-mailing to Paul Reilly as it seems he is now forwarding them straight to Steve but if you have to e-mail Steve please conduct yourselves in a postitive manner. From our correspondence I believe he is on our side and he is a good person to have on our side.

He seems genuinely concerned about us float tubers and I believe he now understands that our type of fishing does not impact the resource very much - especially those of us who practice catch and release or release a percentage of our legal fish and use artificial lures. Being a marine biologist I feel he truly appriciates my conservationalist attitude when it comes to fishing.

I knew being primarily a catch and release, lure only fisherman would pay off someday :)

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

This is what Steve had to say about the Intertidal Rocky Reefs referrence on the DFG website concerning the Coal Oil Point Reserve.

"The intertidal reefs we were referring to for Coal Oil Point are not in the cove. They start at Campus Point and go towards Devereaux Slough."

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Repost of the links - the others didn't work since I didn't set up the html tags right in the message.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/index.html

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fgc&group=02001-03000&file=2850-2863

TL,
Adam

Once again the meeting is on July 24, 2001 at 7:00 pm at:

South Veteran's Memorial Building
112 West Cabrillo Blvd
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

The South Veteran's Memorial Building is located on Cabrillo Blvd between Stearn's Wharf and the Santa Barbara
Harbor.

Most of you know this area very well - be there!

http://leapinbass.com/meeting_map.gif

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Brian, I think I will go to this one. My practice is downtown till 6pm. I,ll cruiz over after that and we can head over to the meeting. You can also brief me with your vast knowledge on the subject :-)

Coo. Hopefully I'll be working the morning shift on Tues. so I'll be outta work by then.
-Brian