A special task force is in the final stages of choosing a plan to protect our coasts under the Marine Life Protection Act.
Only Proposal 4 offers the best protection for the North Coast, by expanding our network of marine protected areas (MPAs) while still allowing some access for small boat fishermen.
But the fishing lobby has sent hundreds of emails in support of Proposal 2XA, which would open up half of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, one of the most biologically diverse areas in California, to fishing!
You can read the full proposals here - check out the maps for each proposal to see the areas to be protected. Learn more about MPAs from The Ocean Conservancy (which supports Proposal 4) and read this helpful FAQ from CalOceans.org (a coalition of conservation NPOs that support Proposal 4.)
Please sign now to send YOUR email in support of Proposal 4 and full protection for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. PLEASE include a comment describing what our coasts mean to you, and if you have visited Fitzgerald, describe in your comment why you believe it should be offered full protection. Thank you!
Dear Chair Golding and members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force:
I strongly support Proposal 4 for the Marine Protected Area network design for the California North Central Coast.
Proposal 4 affords the best protection for the North Central Coast's natural resources and economy. Proposal 4 will create a strong network of highly protected marine refuges while minimizing the economic impact of these protected areas by allowing small boat fishermen access to the sections of the coast where they traditionally fish.
Specifically, Proposal 4 strengthens protections for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, one of the most biologically diverse regions on the west coast. Scientists give Proposal 4 the highest marks of all proposals for MPA size, spacing and habitat protection.
While I strongly support Proposal 4, I am also adamantly opposed to proposal 2XA and any weakening of protections for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. The Marine Life Protection Act was designed to extend the protections currently offered to our magnificent marine natural resources, not to open these refuges up to more fishing.
Please accept my comments in support of Proposal 4, which offers the best protection for our majestic northern coast.
