question about mondays MLPA meeting

[rooster707]

i was curious about what time we needed to be at the meeting. i read that it starts at 9:30 but then the public opinion starts at 3:30 unfortuneatley my company doesnt allow sick days so i wont be able to show up untill after 2:30. would i still be helping to make an impact on the antis and our cause?

[kurt]

Absolutely. Please come by.

[Billy V]

Yes You will be helping if you show up on Monday.
Be sure to fill out a Speaker Card upon you arrival.

You can cede your speaking time to another Kayak Fisherman if you don't want to speak. You can also write a letter and hand it to the I Team members for record.

It all Helps to Show the BTRF and Regional Stakeholders that we Need out Limited Access point OPEN

La Jolla.
The Birth Place of Kayak Fishing.

[Toad Patrol]

See you guys tomarrow.
Here's a letter I sent to out two local papers here in Malibu in response to several published last week from some pro closure residents who claim the MLPA will bring back all the lost tidepool species like starfish. It was such a blatent grab for sympathy support, one mother has her three daughters write letters saying "please support MLPA to bring the fishies back and make the ocean well again", it made me gag. Glad I'm not diabetic.
(I appropriated some of this info from spearboard.com)

Dear Editor,
Here’s some extremely pertinent information regarding the proposed Marine Life Protection Act for your consideration. Please remember the MLPA closures affects the entire state, not just some Pt. Dume residents.
The intention may seem noble, but the cost is unsustainable. The governor in Nov. 2008 placed a moratorium on funding the South Coast MLPA and it is only continuing on a large donation from the pro-environmental Resource Life Legacy Foundation. Many people involved at this stage are volunteers. Without commenting on the propriety of continuing a quasi-legislative process on what is essentially lobbyist's money, there is no guarantee that any private funding source would be there to manage and enforce the South Coast Marine Protected Areas after its establishment. At that point, the implementation is either doomed or the State will have to step in to come up with the estimated $30-40 MILLION per year to manage and enforce the new Marine Protected Areas. Given the current budget crisis in California (Hey, in case you didn’t notice, we’re broke!), I do not believe that this is the best priority to spend our scant resources to establish new MPAs for which we do not have the money to manage or enforce while existing MPAs (such as those in the Central and Northern Coast regions) are not even properly funded for their legislatively mandated management and enforcement. The Fish and Game Wardens Association has stated it cannot enforce the MPAs and recommends suspending the MLPA process until the state has the funds to proceed. We as sport fishermen, through our 2+ million $40 fishing licenses, should not be expected to pay for the management of waters we have no access to. Funding should come from the State General Fund and the public as a whole. They voted for this almost 10 years ago, they wanted this, they can PAY for this!
The original intention of the MLPA was habitat protection not rebuilding fisheries, yet these closures appear to be designed to completely shut down fishing activities based on ideology instead of reasonable protection in view of social/economic impact to the public. These closures will affect visitation to Malibu for lawful fishing and diving purposes. These closures, which occur underwater, will also diminish tourism and revenue. Beachcombers will still beach comb, surfers will still surf, kayakers will still paddle, and pollution will still flow into the ocean, with or without the MLPA. By completely shutting down fishing in these areas, there will be a disproportionate and undue social/economic impact on those currently using the resources for recreation or on businesses depending on it for a living. Remember, we’re talking about the entire state, not just Malibu.
The number of starfish, sea slugs, anemones, and inter-tidal fish that people see in the shallows will not increase by implementing the MLPA.Water pollution, temperature change, and ocean acidification, as well as other undetermined environmental changes are responsible for the diminished sealife seen in tidepools, not from me fishing in my kayak. The No-Take plan ignores fisheries management as an effective tool for preventing overfishing; the array of reserves should not be a surrogate for fisheries management. If there is over-fishing, then the Department of Fish and Game is not doing its job.
The environmentalists proposals focus on the most productive areas (“A+ habitats”) for their reserves because they want the best habitat reserved for themselves (re: those who don’t fish). What they fail to realize is that these areas are the most productive and resilient and closing them will offer little net gain. It would be better to close some of the “B” habitat to let it become more productive—the net effect will be much greater.And there is no provision for fisheries enhancement: Such successful programs as fish propagation (like the white seabass) and artificial reefs are ignored in the MLPA process.
All these points are valid reasons to rethink the MLPA process and purpose, but there is another much more important reason. If you are a sport fisherman or diver there is a personal and private bond you share with Nature. There is a communication on a level that is difficult to put into words. Laird Hamilton feels it at Teahupoo, Zane Grey felt it fighting a giant Black Marlin, Jacque Cousteau felt it diving a coral reef, Georgia O’Keefe felt it painting a lily, and I’m sure Sarah Palin feels it gutting a moose. Its value is inestimable and one of the greatest rewards Life has to offer. Trying to take that from me is criminal at best. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well.… you don’t know what I’m talking about.<O:p</O:p
You want to preserve our marine habitat and enhance our local fisheries? Build more artificial reefs. Place tighter restrictions on the commercial catch of forage species such as squid and sardines that larger fish feed on. Lower fishermen’s catch limit and impose size/slot limits so the largest breeding females survive. Stop the pollution runoff from our storm drains into the ocean. Stop flicking your cigarette butts on the sand and pick up the damn trash on the beach. The MLPA addresses none of these critical issues and is, unfortunately, the wrong solution, regardless of what some may have you believe.
SO, THERE YOU GO.
Scott Winner
Pt. Dume

I think I'm pretty accurate but I've been wrong before, (that usually doesn't stop me though) I now realize that we are just the first group to be chased off the water. Once the precendent is set the next group the enviros will go for are the Boaters (with their loud, smelly motors!), then the Surfers (they're all stoners!), then the Tourists, (they drip sunscreen and wear socks! Ewwww) It's a "Your not like us, so beat it!" mentality. How Arayan.
Achtung, Baby!
Thoughts?

P.S.- Billy V, "La Jolla-the Birthplace of Kayak Fishing" huh? I always thought the Artic Eskimos had that title about 1000 years ago? Doh! Better copyright that before some jive ass berg, like Malibu does. Hmmm, "Malibu-Birthplace of the Sit-On-Top Kayak" just doesn't have the same ring. Oh well...

[tylerdurden]

Toad Patrol, right on :luxhello: . That about sums it up.

The pro closure people seem to think that by shutting down fishing, the nearshore water will turn crystal clear blue, be teeming with happy jumping fish, and have no more urban runoff or sewage spills and they are sadly misguided. I don't doubt their conviction or the desire to help, I just wish they were more informed as to what is actually going on in the ocean.

Monday August 3rd
Be at the MLPA meeting no later than 3pm. Make sure to fill out a comment card and speak, or cede your time to someone you trust who will speak. There will be other fishermen there to help you out.

MEETING LOCATION
Holiday Inn
850 Palomar Airport Road
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760-438-7880
www.carlsbadhi.com (http://www.carlsbadhi.com/)