MLPA Public Comment!

[driftwood]

Add me to the list. be there for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

Gabe.

[old_rookie]

ok - so we'll have a small army there. I have not been to one of these meetings before, so I can only guess what happens.

I suspect there will be reps for the DFG/MLPA speaking and describing what they plan to do/close. Then at some point they will open the mic to those who want to speak ( and not fear public speaking....).

We are all there for the same reason - do not close areas to stop us from fishing. Right???!! We can't simply stand up and say "No...don't do that!" without any decent amo. I can only speak from what I know or at least think I know. Obviously they (DFG/MLPA) think and have 'data' that shows certain areas are being depleted of fish. For one, I don't see a lot of kayakers pulling in large quantities of fish. Of all the (very few) times that I have launched and landed, I have not seen anyone with any fish (other than the SMMT). I have seen plenty of surf fishing pulling in lots of perch, but I don't have any numbers to know if it is impacting the perch or other species. Can only guess from my own observations and experience.

So, what amo are we going in with?

If I have good info on something, I'll speak, but right now I don't. Only a "nooo... don't take away the time I have away from stress, and the thrill of catching fish to feed the family"... well, I could still kayak out without fishing - but you didn't read that.

[PAL]

For those who are just joining this effort, I appreciate that you're taking much of this on faith. Thank-you. Rest assured, there will be plenty of help once you get to the meeting. Just look for the Waterman's Alliance.

Also, if you haven't committed to showing, don't think you're not needed because "we have a small army." The other side has been known to import people by the busload.

When you arrive, and it shouldn't be any later than about 9 am, you need to find the info table and grab a speaker card. Next, decide whether you want to speak or cede your speaking time.

What is ceded time? Every person who fills out a speaker card will get somewhere between one and three minutes. Some people with important messages to send will need more. You can give them your time, but not on a 1:1 trade. It might take 10 cards for one more minute, but that's ok.

For example, during previous meetings Tyler hammered home of the importance of pier bait and other La Jolla issues. He came with slides that back up his points. We always pooled our time to give Tyler room to operate.

If you want to tell the Commission a thing or two, here are a few starting places taken from the other thread:

1. The recent court ruling is clear. The Blue Ribbon Task Force and Science Advisory Team are state agencies. They didn't follow state open meeting rules. The record appears to show decisions were reached behind closed doors. The were other irregularities. South Coast MLPA work must be suspended until these serious issues are resolved.

2. We support RSG Proposal 2, the true cross-interest plan created by anglers, harbor communities. Proposal two strikes a fair balance in Malibu, it preserves public access and safety. The IPA's La Jolla plan will concentrate fishing activity in a small area, again causing safety issues. It preserves the existing reserve boundaries, which are well known to the public and designated via shore-side signs and buoys on the water. Etc.

3. You could also limit your comments to the IPA (Integrated Preferred Alternative), which the Commission is considering. There are significant issues in play, including whether to expand the proposed South La Jolla reserve and reconfigure the second one that would cap us off at Scripps Pier. We have to watch these closely.

This is as much detail as I'm going into on a public message board. The other side reads our mail.

See you in a week.

[GregAndrew]

Old Rookie, just a general bit of info, the DFG knows of no (0) species on our coast that are in decline. There are a few species that are not at their optimal numbers, but all are stable or on the increase since the banning of long lining, gill nets and the current batch of fishing regulations. This is the irony of this entire process.

[driftwood]

"The Blue Ribbon Task Force and Science Advisory Team are state agencies"

Are these Science state agencies real scientist? Are they familar with California Current ecosystem? The data about California fisheries disclosed in the Science magazine article made it clear that the Marine Life Protection Act process must be suspended, since the "science" behind the process needs to be completely re-examined.

Are we being sandbag just based on Pseudo science? I hope the The California Fish and Game Commission Has not been bought out and served already.

[cjthomas]

Just confirmed that I will be able to get the day off.

I will be attending Oct. 20th, driving down from Orange County.

[Willy]

Hey PAL and other organizers...

Just a suggestion, last couple of meetings I went to the lobby area during check in was total chaos. It was easy to find where to get card for speaking time, but it's REALLY HARD TO FIND PAUL, JOE and the others to whom the time was to be ceded and the other kaykers.
When we did the matching black shirts thing, at least it was easy to find the like minded folks.

My suggestion is to create some sort of recognizable uniform, shirt, hat big sign or something so the people who don't recognize faces from this board or from on the water at a distance know who to sit with, talk to, and cede time to.

Wife's having surgery and I can't make it.

Willy

[hatchetman]

Now that I can be there to at least increase our numbers I have to agree with willy, I would like to fill out the card to speak and then cede time to those who know the right words to get the best bang for the time. Knowing who where and how to do this would help make it a bit easier and smoother.