UASC DISAPPOINTMENT WITH BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE SOUTH COAST PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
UNITED ANGLERS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT WITH BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE SOUTH COAST PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
UASC Joins Fishing and Boating Community in Denouncing Decision to Restrict Public Access and Damage State Economy
Anglers Urged to Maintain Push for Proposal 2 at December 9 Fish and Game Commission Meeting
Los Angeles, CA (November 10, 2009) — “This is a dark day for California’s recreational anglers,” is how United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) President Steve Fukuto summed up his feelings when the governor-appointed Blue Ribbon Task Force voted unanimously to send its own Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA) proposal for marine protected areas to the California Fish and Game Commission. Under California’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), the task force’s recommendation would, if approved, close vast areas of the South Coast to public access, ignoring the impact the decision will have on the state’s economy and budget.
“The Malibu, Orange County and San Diego County fishing communities will be hit particularly hard by the BRTF’s recommendations. This is a shame, because there was a better choice that would have provided the necessary conservation while minimizing these impacts,” added Fukuto. United Anglers of Southern California, along with the recreational fishing and boating community, supported Proposal 2, a proposal drafted in part by recreational and commercial fishermen. This proposal provided significant additional conservation for California’s ocean resources while minimizing the economic and cultural impact of lost fishing opportunity. Similar reaction was also expressed in a news release issued today by the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans (PSO), a Washington, DC-based coalition of boating and fishing industry organizations and recreational enthusiast groups that UASC belongs to and supports.
“Recreational fishermen strongly believe in conservation of ocean resources and are the first to step forward when conservation action is required,” said Fukuto. “It is also clear that the Blue Ribbon Task Force did not recognize that anglers provide approximately $70 million each year to California for marine fisheries management and countless hours of volunteer time to support fisheries. I feel the BRTF did not go far enough to balance conservation with socioeconomic concerns or recreational access to the fishery resources. I still believe the Workgroup 2 Map, taken in its entirety, is the correct choice for the South Coast region and I urge anglers to continue to bring this message to the Fish & Game Commission at the December 9 meeting in Los Angeles.”
One example of the recreational angling community’s conservation ethic in action is Southern California’s landmark white seabass hatchery program. This program has raised and released more than 1.5 million juvenile white seabass between Santa Barbara and San Diego—largely through the volunteer efforts of local fishing clubs. Together with the banning of destructive coastal gillnets in the early 1990s (another effort spearheaded by recreational anglers), this has lead to a robust fishery for this popular gamefish. “No other user group even comes close to this level of investment — certainly not the people who support closing our state waters to California residents,” said Fukuto.
For more information and updates on future meetings and MLPA-related activities, contact UASC headquarters at (562) 494-9900 or visit www.unitedanglers.com.
