Water World

Channel Islands Marine Reserves Look to Double in Size

by Ethan Stewart

Old wounds from battles between local fishermen and federal
authorities are sure to reopen in coming weeks after long-simmering
plans to nearly double the existing marine reserves and marine
conservancy areas in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
were released last week. The proposal, which is part of a 224-page
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), calls for the
expansion of several existing no-fishing zones in the waters
surrounding Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, and San
Miguel islands, as well as the creation of a new
20-square-nautical-mile no-fishing zone in the Yellow Banks area,
off southeastern Santa Cruz Island. “This is a real step toward
protecting the biodiversity of the sanctuary while allowing for
better research and monitoring of our resources … and also
complementing the existing state network of reserves,” explained
sanctuary superintendent Chris Mobley. But because the plan would
decrease the size of the area where fishing is permitted,
organizations like the Southern California Chapter of the
Recreational Fishing Alliance have already gone on record
expressing their concern regarding the proposal.

The plan represents an all-inclusive approach to marine
conservation: Instead of attempting to protect specific species of
fish, it seeks to make entire habitats off-limits to fishing. If
adopted, it would expand eight existing marine reserves — places
where absolutely no fishing is permitted — as well as a conservancy
area (where certain fishing is allowed in a limited

Because the waters surrounding the Channel Islands provide an
essential lifeline for an already threatened commercial fishing
industry, the plan is unlikely to sail through the 60-day public
comment period without opposition from local fishermen, in
particular, drift netters and trawlers.

capacity) near Anacapa Island. All told, the plan would result
in a protected habitat of 241 square nautical miles — roughly 20
percent of the sanctuary’s total size — for species such as the
Pacific lobster, rockfish, sea bass, and abalone.

Because the waters surrounding the Channel Islands provide an
essential lifeline for an already threatened commercial fishing
industry, the plan is unlikely to sail through the 60-day public
comment period without opposition from local fishermen, in
particular, drift netters and trawlers. (Fishing is allowed in the
sanctuary anywhere not specifically protected by reserves or
conservancies.) However, Chris Mobley pointed out that according to
the DEIS, the new plan would impact only about one percent of
current overall economic activity associated with the islands. This
is because the vast majority of commercial fishing takes place in
the near-shore waters — an area out of the sanctuary’s
jurisdiction. Additionally, Mobley said, since the current reserves
and conservancies have been in place, local fisheries have reported
landing totals comparable to pre-protection years.

Still, Mobley anticipates a certain degree of backlash from the
fishing community, especially after this week’s California Fish and
Game Commission decision to severely restrict fishing in the
near-shore waters of central California with 29 new
marine-protected areas along the coast from Point Conception to
Santa Cruz which will have an opportunity to raise questions during
a public hearing scheduled for September 28 at the Earl Warren
Showgrounds.