CA MLPA sadness and remorse

I fished from Stumps Beach at Salt Point state park on the Sonoma Coast this weekend.  It was an ok bite of mostly smaller fish but a few nice ones mixed in too.  Made my way north to the point north of Fisk Mill where I caught a couple of nice coppers (20" and 21") and a few others.  Now I'm sad as this point will be closed next year due to the CA MLPA process.  Don't let them take away your fishing grounds!!!

-Allen

Picture isn't working for me

Picture isn't working for me

You must be using IE.  Sometimes IE has a problem with the style of IMG links I used.  I changed it to be an attachment.

-Allen

I am on the fence on this issue in Oregon. Half of me is bummed I will lose access and wish they would leave a "human powered clause" in the reserves, seriously, I think this would be a valid exception (selfish I know ). I also have the feeling that the groundswell in favor of reserves (political/funding/general public's preception) is there to get these enacted  no matter the noise made by the fishing community. Am I off base?  I have the feeling like I am standing on the tracks waiting for the inevitable train to show up...  And, the other half of me (ok maybe 65% ) is fine with that.  Sometimes a good decision can be a painful one.  I would rather error on the side of conservation now, than wish someone had done something when the fishery falls apart down the road in 10, 15, 30 years.

There are no easy answers for this conundrum.

This area (Stewart's Point) is particular bittersweet.  Just north of it was the alternative (Searanch) being pushed by the sportfishing groups.  Searanch is a stretch of beach that has very limited access and is far from any major ports.  So it already affords some level of protection.  Stewart's Point has easier access and is very popular.  However, they chose to close Stewart's Point and keep Searanch open.  So effectively the eco-nazi's get a 2-for-1.  And they did it by political hoodwinking.  Double ouch!!!

I think I can be fine with MPA's too ... I'm just not a fan of blindly following the mantra.  I also happen to think CA MPA's don't go far enough since they don't take into account the whole ecosystem.  Issues such as watersheds, pollution, etc. don't get addressed by MPA's.

-Allen