The controversial fishing restrictions for the Marine Protected Area in Malibu, stretching from El Matador State Beach to Paradise Cove, will not be enforced until the beginning of next year.
By Megan Farmer / Special to The Malibu Times
The effective date for the fishing restrictions approved by the California Fish and Game Commission last December for specific Southern California Coastal regions, including part of Malibu, has been delayed from Oct. 1 until Jan. 1. The cause of the delay is due to clarifications requested from the Office of Administrative Law (OAL), according to the commission.
The fishing restrictions in Malibu are part of a larger regulatory package, the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), which was created with the intention of protecting the state’s marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems and marine natural heritage, according to the Commission. The MLPA encompasses 36 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for a total of 187 square miles of state waters.
The MPA in Malibu has met with public controversy regarding the limitations that have been set for the coastline. The protected area stretches across Point Dume from El Matador State Beach to Paradise Cove and was chosen as a site to protect fish populations from overfishing, and to guard a rare underwater canyon and kelp reef.
Adrianna Shea, deputy executive director for the state Fish and Game Commission, said the OAL clarifications were all general administrative fixes that were outlined in a 10-page letter and that the delay is very common for regulatory packages of this size.
“This has nothing to do with people being opposed to the restrictions, it’s purely administrative procedure acts, just typical red-tape delays,” Shea said.
Sarah Sikich, Coastal Resources Director for Heal the Bay, also agreed it is not unusual for such a large regulatory act to be delayed due to OAL findings. Heal the Bay often sees this kind of delay with various agencies and Sikich viewed the postponement as “pretty normal.”
“It’s very exciting to have an MPA in Malibu, Point Dume is a rich habitat we want to protect,” Sikich said.
Although she said she understands the concerns people have about losing their favorite fishing spot, Sikich said the new MPA is a long-term investment in Malibu and will ensure a population of healthy fish for generations to come.
“There were hundreds of hours of discussions between government agencies, fishermen, residents and others to determine the best place to cause minimal harm to members of the community, and this was determined to be the best possible solution,” Sikich said.
She added that Heal the Bay has seen other communities where people are initially opposed to environmental restrictions, but in time they come around to see the benefits. It is unknown yet if this will be true for the Malibu community.
Heal the Bay experienced some fallout from Malibu residents earlier this year when it began a monitoring program, “MPA Watch.” The program enlisted volunteers to record the activities of beachgoers as data. The information will be used to compare the pre- and post-MPA effects on the health of marine life.
Malibu resident, Shari Latta, wrote a letter to The Malibu Times, addressing her concerns of the program and the future MPA limitations that may be imposed on beachgoers.
“Will they ban surfing, because invariably, surfers stand on the animal-laden reefs when retrieving a board or just pushing out to get into the lineup? Anemones, urchins, sea hares and stars can be damaged or killed by an errant foot. Many of us are very concerned about this. If they are recording the number of people walking on the beach, on top of where the grunion lay eggs (all summer long), will they consider banning beachgoers between March and September?”
The Malibu MPA is divided into two separate areas with different regulations. From El Matador State Beach to the westernmost tip of Point Dume allows for limited fishing, while from Point Dume south to Paradise cove all fishing is prohibited.
Fish species that may still be fished, beginning in January, include: northern anchovy, barracudas, billfishes (except that marlin is not allowed for commercial take), dolphinfish/Dorado, Pacific herring, jack mackerel, Pacific mackerel, salmon, Pacific sardine, blue shark, salmon shark, shortfin mako shark, thresher sharks, swordfish, tunas, and yellowtail. White Sea Bass and Pacific bonito may also be fished by spear fishing. Limited commercial fishing of coastal pelagic species, including squid, mackerel and anchovies, will also be permitted by round-haul net in the northern half. Round-haul fishing is a smaller operation than the purse-seine boats that have been fishing off Malibu’s coast the last few months.
The 10-page letter from the OAL to the California Fish and Game Commission, as well as the restrictions for all of the new MPAs can be viewed online at www.fgc.ca.gov.