Environment 8-13
The owners of the Santa Barbara commercial fishing boat Risa Lynn were fined $10,000 this week for illegally fishing in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Over a two-week period in March 2008, state and federal investigators tracked Jason and Shane Robinson of Santa Barbara and Joseph Campopiano of Morro Bay fishing in the Footprint Marine Reserve; some fish were freed, but others had already been sold. The fishermen claim they were told they could fish in the area but agreed to the fine rather than go to court.
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Farmers in the Cuyama Valley on 8/11 listened to a report on the state of their water supplies. The encouraging news, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey, is that the groundwater is cleaner than most places surveyed in the state. The potentially scary news, which won’t be known until an ongoing study is completed in 2012, is that there’s not enough water to support farming practices such as carrot and alfalfa growing.
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The draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the eradication program for the Light Brown Apple Moth was released for 60 days of public commentary on 7/31. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has scheduled seven public comment sessions, including one at the Carpinteria Library on 8/20. The Australian insect is considered a noxious pest and feared for its purported potential to decimate crops.
