Friends, the first meeting of the SoCal MLPA Commission round is coming up soon, on Dec 9 in LA. The agenda is out; 2 hours are set aside for public comment.
As you know, ALL of Pt Dume is slated for closure in the BRTF's IPA. This is crunch time for Malibu. If the Commission doesn’t see you early, often and in numbers, you’ve sealed the deal.
Please keep this in mind. We are dealing with a new set of decision makers, the 5 Fish and Game Commission members. They don't know who we are; it is time to teach them. Show them how the IPA disproportionately targets us, the lightest impact user group.
Ken Wiseman is no longer in charge. You can expect to be treated with respect. California open meeting laws apply. Here's the where and when:
Radisson Hotel at Los Angeles Airport
ABC Ballroom*
6225 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles
PUBLIC SPEAKER CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT 9:00 am AND MUST BE TURNED IN TO COMMISSION STAFF BY 10:10 am FOR CONSIDERATION. PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE HEARD FROM APPROXIMATELY 10:15 am TO 12:30 pm
The Commission will probably not consider the South Coast MLPA issue again until February, and that meeting will be held in Sacramento. This is your best shot for quite some time.
Talking Points:
The BRTF's IPA (aka sausage) is livable in a few areas but poses huge economic and social impacts in most of SoCal. Did they listen to the you, the public? This is an appropriate time to comment on how the BRTF and MLPA staff treated you, as long as you can do so politely and respectfully.
The greater fishing community supports the RSG Workgroup 2 MPA network - YES ON TWO! This should remain the fundamental message.
The IPA La Jolla plan poses several issues, including compaction caused by unnecessary book-ending. The community favors leaving the existing Scripps Ecological Reserve in its current boundaries. The proposed SMR / SMCA boundary (north LJ) cuts the pier in half, creating an enforcement problem. The SMCA north of the pier offers little conservation value and violates several MPA design guidelines (chiefly for size). It should be removed. Alternatively much of the compaction issue can be removed by allowing hook and line pelagics as well as the currently allowed coastal pelagics (bait).
Pt Dume, the birthplace of modern kayak fishing in Malibu, the area's version of La Jolla, is set for a total shut-down. The impacts are falling disproportionately on kayak anglers. We're talking all of Pt Dume and half of La Jolla. We pose little impact, but are poised to take the biggest hit of all.
In person testimony is the most effective. If you can't make it, please send a letter, email or fax.
Fish and Game Commission contact info
Mailing Address:
California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street
P.O. Box 944209
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
Phone Number:
(916) 653-4899
Fax Number:
(916) 653-5040
E-Mail:
fgc@fgc.ca.gov (Please include the subject of the regulations in the e-mail subject line.)
I'd hoped to take off my MLPA hat by now, but I'm making the trek. I hope to see you there.
Author
