By: Amina Khribeche, Legal and Policy Intern
On July 17th, Ashley Eagle-Gibbs (EAC Executive Director) and Amina Khribeche (EAC Legal & Policy summer intern) participated in the Fish and Game Commission’s Marine Resources Committee meeting in Santa Rosa. The July 17th meeting was focused on Marine Protected Area (MPA) regulation change petitions evaluation process and changes to our existing MPA network for adaptive management.
Overview of Petitions Submitted
In 2023, we submitted two petitions to the Commission to change the status of Duxbury Reef and Drakes Estero from State Marine Conservation Areas (SMCAs) to State Marine Reserves (SMRs). This would prohibit any “take,” making them fully protected reserves. Our petition for Duxbury Reef includes changing the designation to an SMR, as well as extending the northern and southern boundaries to encompass the full area of the reef habitat. Making the reef fully protected will ease enforcement efforts. Since current protections allow hook-and-line fishing from shore, some visitors to the area wrongly assume they can also take other creatures from the reef.
Related to Drakes Estero, we request that the Commission subsume Drakes Estero SMCA into Estero de Limantour SMR to create a single SMR for Estero de Limantour and Drakes Estero. Currently, recreational clamming is permitted in part of the Estero, which also makes enforcement difficult and leads to confusion.
Binning and the Petition Review Process
At the July 17th meeting, petitions were categorized into two “bins” using the criteria developed by the Marine Resources Committee to determine which petitions can be evaluated in the “near-term” (Bin 1) and which petitions will require “additional policy guidance, information, and/or resources” prior to evaluation (Bin 2). Following approval of the binning of petitions by the Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will move forward with the evaluation of Bin 1 petitions for subsequent discussion and consideration by the Committee and Commission.
The July 17th meeting was contentious with many stakeholders present to advocate both for and against the petitions. Committee Co-Chairs, Commissioner Sklar and President Murray, were present throughout the meeting and helped field and answer questions. The committee provided important clarification to members of the public about the binning process and the evaluation of each individual petition. The committee emphasized that inclusion in Bin 1 does not automatically mean the requests in any given petition will be granted. Each petition will go through a rigorous evaluation process before a decision is made.
At the meeting, Ashley successfully advocated for the Drakes Estero petition to remain in bin 1. Attending the Committee meeting in person provided a valuable opportunity to collaborate with other organizations including many of EAC’s partners.
July 18th Meeting
On July 18th, Amina attended the Committee meeting virtually to speak on fisheries and aquaculture issues including, fishery bycatch evaluation for fisheries management review, and applications for new aquaculture leases. Amina encouraged the Committee to emphasize the need for outside peer review of bycatch inquiries to foster trust and transparency in the process by hosting working groups of affected parties outside regular committee meetings.
Amina also advocated for protecting wildlife and sensitive habitats on Tomales Bay. There is a new lease that has been proposed for Tomales Bay, which will be discussed at the November committee meeting.
As a statewide leader in aquaculture policy, EAC supports partner organizations on sustainable fisheries issues, ensuring our marine biodiversity is presented.
Next MRC Meeting
The next Committee meeting is scheduled for November 6th and 7th in Sacramento. The committee agreed to add another day to the scheduled meeting to allow for additional discussion around MPAs and the review process. Our team is looking forward to continued advocacy and action around this issue!
If you have questions, concerns, or comments about any of these issues, please reach out to Ashley. She can also provide you with information on how to get more involved!
Learn more:
https://www.eacmarin.org/tomalesbay
https://www.eacmarin.org/coastalprotection/adaptive-management-for-mpas
