More South Coast Meeting to be held

Sacramento, CA -- June 29, 2010 - In response to requests made by the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO), United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) and the city of Redondo Beach, the California Fish and Game Commission has agreed to schedule one scoping meeting for the South Coast phase of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) at a time, date and place to be announced. The decision was announced during the June 23-24, Commission meeting held in Folsom, California.

 

Scoping meetings provide the public, stakeholder organizations, governmental agencies and other interested parties the chance to weigh in on issues related to the potential environmental effects of marine protected area proposals being considered by the Commission.

 

The PSO, UASC, and the city of Redondo Beach each submitted letters requesting scoping meetings after learning that the Fish and Game Commission initially intended to bypass the scoping meeting process for the South Coast Region.

 

"While we're pleased that the Commission has acknowledged the need for the scoping meeting process in the South Coast, a single meeting for the region is not nearly adequate for such an important issue," commented Steven Fukuto, president of UASC and a PSO member. "This is yet another example of the MLPA process being rushed to implementation without buy-in and input from the very people it will impact."

 

"Multiple scoping meetings were held for both the Central and North Central Coasts, and I see no reason why the South Coast should receive less," said Paul Lebowitz, director of the Kayak Fishing Association of California and PSO member. "Giving South Coast residents only one opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the MPAs about to be imposed on them is not enough. Given the complexity, magnitude and scope of what is being proposed, the decisions made now will have consequences for generations."

 

"Anglers need to make their voices heard and tell the Commission that they demand to be treated fairly in the South Coast," said Fukuto. "I call upon anglers throughout Southern California to go to www.KeepAmericaFishing.org and send an e-mail to the Commission urging them to hold a series of scoping meetings in the South Coast. One is just not enough."

 

Lebowitz concluded, "It is incumbent upon the commission to correct this oversight by scheduling a series of scoping meetings to help facilitate the most informed and enlightened MLPA outcome possible. The recreational angling community in Southern California deserves no less."

Send a letter to Fish & Game on Scoping Meeting

http://capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=15177801

Urge the California Fish and Game Commission to Hold Scoping Meetings for the South Coast Phase of the MLPA The Commission plans to railroad the process and bypass these important meetings   Background In order to gather information essential to the development of Environmental Impact Reports for the implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs) along the Central and North Central Coasts, the California Fish and Game Commission held a series of scoping meetings under the state's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). The purpose of the scoping meetings was to solicit input from other agencies, the public, stakeholder organizations and other interested parties on issues related to the potential environmental effects of the MPA proposals being considered.   This is not the case with the South Coast. In an attempt to meet rushed and arbitrary deadlines, the Fish and Game Commission is not planning to schedule these important and necessary meetings for the South Coast. Given the complexity and heightened controversy surrounding the South Coast process, public scoping meetings are essential to ensure that all the potential impacts of MPAs along the South Coast are heard.   What You Can Do Click here to send a letter to the Fish and Game Commission urging them to hold scoping meetings on the South Coast MPA Project Environmental Impact Report. Without stakeholder input, the Commission will continue to unnecessarily accelerate the process and ignore the need for further input. Send your letter today!   Thank you for doing your part to Keep America Fishing!

Letter to stop Ca. Fish & Game - Opposing Don Benninghoven

Here is a quick and easy link to send a letter on Keep America Fishing.org

keepamericafishing- Oppsing Don Benninghoven

MLPA - Public Meeting - Great Kid

Please contact your representative and appose this MLPA board.

One Cool Tuna..

Tuna Fishing - Saving Fishing

Pole & line Tuna Fishing from Jonathan Clay on Vimeo.

My Montage 1/15/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blue Ribbon Taskforce Meeting

California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Announcement

 

 

Who:  MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF)

What:  Addressing confusion regarding public comment at the reconvened BRTF meeting

Where:  See statement below and attached in PDF

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Public Comment at the Reconvened MLPA

Blue Ribbon Task Force Meeting on November 10, 2009

The California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative is committed to an open and transparent processto help the State of California develop an improved system of marine protected areas (MPAs). A key element of the MLPA Initiative is creating opportunities for effective stakeholder and interested public participation.

The MLPA Initiative includes a regional stakeholder group in each study region that develops MPA proposals with the assistance of the task force, a science advisory team, the California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and a team of staff and contractors, as well as significant input from the interested public.

The MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force has received three MPA proposals from the MLPA South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (SCRSG) and determined on October 22, 2009 that all three should be forwarded to the California Fish and Game Commission, along with a preferred alternative that could be one of the three or an integrated blend of them.

The task force received over ten thousand written comments and over six hours of formal verbal public comment related to the Round 3 SCRSG MPA proposalsand the individual MPAs within different geographies, which have significantly helped inform the decision making process. These public comments are in addition to the over fifteen hours of formal verbal public comment, and hundreds of hours of informal input and feedback, received by the SCRSG during its deliberations.

On October 22, 2009, the task force incorporated information from public comments in its deliberations about potential MPA options to consider for the preferred alternative. Throughout its deliberations, the task force requested input from SCRSG members who are intimately familiar with the interests, concerns and values taken into consideration in developing the MPA proposals. At the end of the day, the task force had identified a subset of MPAs to be potentially included in a preferred alternative (referred to as “common MPAs”) and several key geographies where agreement had not been reached (referred to as “MPA options under consideration”); as a result, the task force recessed and will reconvene on November 10, 2009 to continue its deliberations on the preferred alternative. Members of the SCRSG have been invited to again participate in the meeting and their direct input will be an important element of the task force deliberations.

The public has also been offered an additional opportunity for submitting written comments during the nearly three week recess. In the key geographies with MPA options under considerationby the task force, the public has continued to provide written input, with up to several hundred comments each day since October 22; some of those comments are quite specific, with details about suggested boundary shifts, regulation changes, or new information that has not been previously submitted to the process, which are the most helpful types of comments to the task force at this point in time. Members of the public have been clearly indicating if they are writing about MPA options in a specific geography being considered by the task force or the Round 3 SCRSG MPA proposals.

Consistent with the long-standing practice of taking public comment on action items, the public will have an opportunity to provide verbal comment to the task force prior to a vote to adopt a preferred alternative. The task force has previously heard significant public comment on this subject at the first part of its meeting on October 21; therefore, the task force will request that comments on the motion to adopt a preferred alternative be specific to the action item and focused on any new information that has not been previously disclosed. Members of the public with new information to share with the task force are requested to designate a spokesperson who can represent their viewpoint; speakers will be asked to indicate on their comment card the details of the new information to be presented. The task force will also look to SCRSG members to actively provide a voice for public interests.

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