Sacramento, CA – October 5, 2011 – On October 3,
the California Fish and Game Commission opened a 15-day public comment
period for revised proposed regulations for the South Coast marine
protected areas developed under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)
process. Revisions were made because the California Office of
Administrative Law (OAL), which must first review and approve the
regulations before they go into effect, rejected the regulatory package
previously provided by the commission.
The Partnership for Sustainable Oceans, which represents the
interests of California's recreational anglers and boaters in the MLPA
process, is currently reviewing the revised regulations and will provide
suggested issues to consider when commenting on the regulations prior
to the October 18, deadline. Comments will also be accepted at the
October 19 Fish and Game Commission meeting in Monterey, Calif. It is
important that anglers respond to the revised MPA regulations since they
may significantly affect their ability to access the most productive
ocean areas.
During its September meeting, the commission outlined a proposed
timeline to re-notice and finalize the South Coast MLPA regulations,
resubmit them to OAL, and seek an anticipated effective date of January
1, 2012. This projected effective date is not only dependent on OAL
approval, but also may be affected by the outcome of a pending lawsuit
filed by members of the PSO.
The lawsuit seeks to set aside the MLPA regulations for the North
Central and South Coast study regions, citing a lack of statutory
authority for the Fish and Game Commission to adopt the regulations,
and, in the case of the South Coast regulations, numerous violations of
the California Environmental Quality Act in the commission's
environmental review of the regulations. A hearing on the North Central
Coast portion of the case, originally set for September 26, will now
take place on October 6, in San Diego.
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