On March 13th, EAC participated in the Fish and Game Commission (Commission)’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC) meeting in Sacramento.
We spoke on multiple topics, including aquaculture, fisheries, and marine protected areas (MPAs).
Aquaculture: New Lease Proposed for Tomales Bay
Speaking on behalf of Public Lands Conservancy and EAC, we raised concerns about the San Andreas Shellfish Company’s newly proposed aquaculture (or shellfish) lease in Tomales Bay, which is home to sensitive habitat, special status species (like steelhead trout, coho salmon, and western snowy plovers), and popular public clamming locations. We urged the Commission to reevaluate its initial determination that the lease application meets legal requirements, study the project's environmental impacts through an Environmental Impact Report, and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, as is required by state and federal laws like the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act. Our Alliance for the Protection of Brazil Beach and Tomales Bay is growing—we have 15 groups opposing the lease so far. We are opposed to this lease due to its impacts on marine mammals, shorebirds, and eelgrass habitat and have retained legal counsel in partnership with the Public Lands Conservancy.
Aquaculture leases must go through four phases before being issued a lease by the Commission: pre-application consultation and design (Phase 0), initial vetting and scoping of concerns (Phase 1), in-depth analysis (Phase 2), and finally, a decision by the Commission (Phase 3). The proposed San Andreas Shellfish Company lease has completed Phase 1, having been vetted by both the Tribal and Marine Resources Committees. We have tracked the lease since 2017, raising concerns all along. As of March 2025, the next steps include an initial CEQA study, the first step of Phase 2. The proposal must then go through a CEQA analysis and public interest analysis before Phase 3 can begin.
The public will have more chances to comment on this lease proposal. If you’re interested in voicing your concerns, check the Fish and Game Commission meeting schedule for future meeting agendas! Or, reach out to us to let us know you share our concerns.
Learn More:
EAC Aquaculture Monitoring
Nov 2024 MRC - Process Overview for Vetting Application for New Aquaculture Lease
2024 San Andreas Shellfish, Co. Lease Application
Joint Comments
Legal Counsel Letter
Red Abalone Harvest Moratorium
We urged the Commission to continue its statewide closure on red abalone harvest. Red abalone populations have faced significant decline across California, including in Duxbury Reef. Populations in California are so low that even recreational fishing could threaten them, and they will only continue to be stressed by climate change and ocean acidification. Advocating for a precautionary approach now will give this beloved species a chance for the future.
Stronger Marine Protected Areas
We spoke about marine protected areas (MPAs), including our petition to increase protections at Duxbury Reef, which already experiences impacts from non-compliant harvest. Our strongly supported petition requests that the State Marine Conservation Area become a full State Marine Reserve and that the boundaries be expanded to the north and south to encompass the full reef habitat. This petition is currently in Bin 2.
The Commission is currently developing a process to evaluate Bin 2 petitions. We have committed to advocating for our Duxbury Reef petition throughout this process. Our Drakes Estero petition (which was in Bin 1) is still pending final rulemaking, but we received a unanimous Commission vote in December, recommending that the area become a full marine reserve.
Learn more about our Drakes Estero and Duxbury Reef Petitions including Maps
EAC Presents MPA Petitions at the Golden Gate Collaborative & Mapping
Learn more at our Coastal Protection Blog
