SAC - Informational Release

MLPA Update

BILL TO EXTEND TIMELINES ON MLPA ON GOVERNOR’S DESK

AB 892 by Assemblyman Fred Keeley has passed the state legislature and is currently on Governor Gray Davis’s desk awaiting signature. This legislation is thanks in part to the efforts of Senator Dede Alpert, and would extend the legislatively mandated timelines on adopting the master plan for the Marine Life Protection Act. When AB 892 becomes law, the new deadline for adoption of the MLPA master plan will be Dec. 1, 2005. This will be good news for all recreational anglers, as it will give those of us involved in the regional committees time to establish some rational guidelines for the consideration of marine reserves off the California coast.

Any recreational anglers who agree that this legislative delay is important should write a letter to Governor Gray Davis and encourage him to sign AB 892. Letters should be faxed to the Governor’s office at (916) 445-4633. If mailing your letter, send it to:
Governor Gray Davis, State Capitol, First Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. In addition, the regional committees of the MLPA will be having their first meeting in late September. I am a member of the Santa Barbara/Ventura Regional Committee, and our meeting will be on Wednesday, September 18th. The location has yet to be set.

Finally, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will be meeting in Portland, OR from September 10-13, 2002, at the Doubletree Suites Hotel on the Columbia River. On September 11, 2002, the Council will discuss the issue of marine reserves for the Channel Islands, and they plan on adopting a draft of a letter with recommendations to the California Fish & Game Commission on the marine reserves proposal that is currently scheduled for final action in December 2002, in Monterey. When that letter is adopted, I will put a copy on the SAC web site.