Another Viewpoint Regarding Expansion
of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
By Janice Peters (Mayor), Rick Algert (Harbor Director), Bill Peirce (former Councilman)
[Editor's Note: This article is in response to Andrew Christie's "Why Sanctuary" in the October issue.]
Morro Bay is in unwavering opposition to offshore oil development, and, in 1990, the City joined with SLO County in a resolution supporting the concept of a Central Coast National Marine Sanctuary in order to stop offshore oil development. Even at that point, it was a controversial subject because our local fishermen feared that it would mean more regulation or limitation of their fishing options.
A sanctuary covering all of SLO and Monterey counties was deemed too big to manage, so in 1992, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) was formed. The formation documents specified that there was no intent to regulate fishing and there was a promise to incorporate local concerns into their process. Unfortunately, the MBNMS has not lived up to its promises.
In 2001, when expansion of the MBNMS to include the Central Coast was suggested again, Mayor Peters (then a Councilwoman) contacted Monterey Councilwoman Ruth Vreeland (now deceased), who had been instrumental in the creation of the Monterey Sanctuary. Vreeland told Peters she regretted her support for establishing the sanctuary. She stated that the impacts of the sanctuary had negatively affected not only fishing, but also dredging, and visitor-serving businesses in Monterey.
The problem cited was a total lack of local input to the appointed Sanctuary council. Decisions were made in Washington D.C. without giving consideration to the suggestions and concerns of the local community. As a result of this and other information, the Morro Bay City Council took a strong stand against expansion of the MBNMS, but again favored a separate sanctuary with binding local control.
By 2003, a slightly different Morro Bay City Council, with increased concerns over the MBNMS attempts to include fishing regulations, as well as continued unresponsiveness to the local community, passed Resolution 27-03, opposing expansion of the MBNMS and also opposing creation of a Central Coast Marine Sanctuary.
As a direct result of the 2003 sanctuary expansion discussions, however, the Marine Interest Group (MIG) was created. This group of local stakeholders provided a venue for discussing sanctuary issues, fishing impacts, and protection of our valuable coastal resources. After several years of research and discussion, the MIG has not developed a position regarding expansion of the MBNMS.
The City of Morro Bay certainly supports protection of our coast, and might again support establishment of a Central Coast Sanctuary, if it had a structure similar to the MIG, and guaranteed local control on decisions vital to our community’s environmental and economic future.
Belted Kingfisher image on banner by Cleve Nash |
