Surprise Opposition to Council Vote

Editor,

It may have come as a surprise to you that the Surfrider Foundation opposed the city resolution recommending a marine reserve for the city's entire length. Let me explain why. Briefly, there is a process set up to establish marine reserves and we didn't believe that the city's resolution adequately took that process into account.

First, lets make it clear that the Surfrider Foundation supports the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and more specifically marine reserves (no take areas). The science from around the globe makes it clear that marine reserves work. Inside marine reserves they consistently find increased biodiversity and bigger more reproductive fish. It has also been proven that bigger reserves work better than smaller ones.

For these reasons we support that Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) and support the establishment of marine reserves that meet the size and spacing criteria established by the MLPA Science Advisory Team.

The Surfrider Foundation has been involved in establishing MPAs in California, Oregon and Puerto Rico. In each of these places we have prided ourselves in working to improve the conservation of precious marine resources while working with local fishermen in each time.

Our members include a wide diversity of interests all united in protecting our oceans, waves and beaches, including conservationists who fish -- and we want to ensure their interests are considered in the process of establishing marine reserves.

We believe the city of Laguna Beach "put the cart before the horse" in passing their resolution with specific boundaries to cover the entire length of the city.

The Department of Fish and Game has established a process to establish MPAs (including marine reserves) that includes stakeholders, scientists, economic analysis and tradeoffs for protection and fishing to build a regional network from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The City Council doesn't have the benefit of that thorough and unfinished process.

Further, the Blue Ribbon Task Force is calling for proposals that have "cross-interest support" - support of both the conservation community and the fishing community. Laguna's resolution has accomplished the opposite - it has pitted fishermen against conservationists.

While we didn't support the resolution, the Surfrider Foundation continues to work with conservation and fishing interests with the hope of finding a balance that meets the goals of the MLPA while respecting Laguna's rich history of fishing. Chad Nelsen Surfrider Foundation