After the Fish & Game Commission meeting in Long Beach on April 4, 2002, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) met the following week in Portland, Oregon, to discuss the process the Council would follow in providing recommendations to the Commission. The PFMC has lead responsibility to manage fisheries outside 3 miles, as well as having responsibility for the management of fish species that are a subject of a fishery management plan (FMP) of the Council.

After several hours of discussion, the Council adopted a two-stage process, one that would not conclude until the PFMC's September meeting in Portland. The first stage would be to direct their Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to do a comprehensive review of the environmental documentation for the alternatives for closures at the Channel Islands, as well as reviewing the socio-economic data. The SSC would then report to the Council at their June meeting in San Francisco. Based on that report, the comments of their Advisory Committees and the public, the Council would convene a small subcommittee composed of Council members who would be tasked with synthesizing a policy recommendation for Council consideration at their Sept. 9-13 meeting, again to be held in Portland, OR. Following final input by Advisory bodies and the public, the Council would take final action and forward the results to the Commission soon afterward.

In a letter dated April 29, 2002, the PFMC described that process and advised the Fish & Game Commission of their planned schedule. In a phone conversation I had with the Commission staff on or about May 22, 2002, I was advised that in light of the PFMC's proposed schedule, the Commission was writing a letter to the Council advising them that the issue of marine reserves at the Channel Islands was being delayed from their August 2, 2002 meeting in San Luis Obispo until their December 6, 2002 meeting in Monterey.
Clearly, the Fish & Game Commission recognizes the value of the Council input, as well as appreciating the knowledge represented by the Councils' SSC.

In addition, regarding the latest process pursuant to the MLPA, I have been advised that I will be the sportfishing representative on the regional committee that encompasses the area from Point Arguello to Point Fermin and including the northern Channel Islands. The Department has indicated that the first meeting of these committees will be set for July 17th, and then subsequent meetings will be held monthly. In light of the delay in initiating the process, the Department will be asking the Legislature to provide a statutory delay in the legal timelines set for the MLPA. While I don't know the exact length of time of the delay, it will probably be at least 1 ½-2 years. That would put the Commissions' final action on adopting marine reserves for the California coast back to December of 2005, if the delay is two years.

If anyone is interested in attending the PFMC meeting in June, it will be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Foster City, just south of the Airport. The phone number is (650) 570-5700. If you want to provide written testimony, you can send it to the PFMC, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220-1384. For more info on the Council, check out the PFMC web site at www.pcouncil.org.

Stay tuned!!