The Marine Protection Act
Believe it or not, I'm actually sympathetic to this idea. I think there is a lot of pressure on our fisheries, but it's hard to say how much. I'm with Ronnie Pellegrini. We really need to take a close look at this before we close off any of our coastline.
I can't help but think that with modern fishing methods- heck, even in sportfishing- there's a chance rockfish and other sea life populations could get, or are, being depleted. Problem is, the environmentalists don't have much credibility with me. Fish populations tend to go in cycles, but environmentalists tend to see a low cycle in populations as proof we're killing off all the fish.
Then people get hysterical, can't think straight and might overreact to a problem, be it real or imagined. I could just see them doing the same thing to our coastal fisheries as they've done to the timber industry and nobody will be fishing off the California coast.
I don't think I'm being extreme in my thinking, either. After all, we live in a country where the powers- that- be recently banned the taking of krill, along the entire West Coast. Never mind they're not commercially fished in our waters and no shortage of them exists. I suspect some of the players in that ban are the same ones working on this Marine Protection Act.
We do need to watch out for our fisheries, but I can't help wonder if these marine sanctuaries will eventually put the oceans off limits to us all?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 10:09 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Fred ,this is one huge dog. This community will take another huge hit for nothing. We already have done the good work needed for healthy near shore fish stocks and our fishing community are the greatest stewards in the world. Nothing will be done to help water quality issues or improve fish stocks. Northern California is the greatest habitat in the world and our regulations,restrictions,management plans need no mpa's to foul our good work. The Packard foundation and Arnold could do us some good if they would put their time and money into land based water quality concerns. Wiggins and Chesbro had damn well better take care of this community and not role over to huge environmental groups who don't know a damn thing about this north coast region.
"...Northern California is the greatest habitat in the world and our regulations,restrictions,management plans need no mpa's to foul our good work..
I'm sure you're right. Besides, I haven't been fishing in years, but I've heard not many fish are allowed to be kept nowadays, anyway. If true, one could argue we already are an MPA here on the north coast.
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