The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process, which proposes to unnecessarily close much of the state's best coastal waters to sportfishing, is near completion in southern California, but anglers and boaters still have an opportunity to provide input before these regulations are finalized. On October 3, the California Fish and Game Commission opened a 15-day public comment period for revised proposed regulations for the South Coast marine protected areas developed under the MLPA process. Revisions were made because the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL), which must first review and approve the regulations before they go into effect, rejected the regulatory package previously provided by the commission.

The re-noticed regulatory package attempts to clarify and revise several aspects of the commission's decision making per the OAL's request, and makes changes to some of the proposed marine protected area (MPA) boundaries and what activities will be allowed in them. The Partnership for Sustainable Oceans, which represents the interests of California's recreational anglers and boaters in the MLPA process, urges all anglers to provide their thoughts and concerns about the regulations prior to the October 18, deadline. Comments will also be accepted at the October 19 Fish and Game Commission meeting in Monterey, Calif. It is important that anglers respond to the revised MPA regulations since they may significantly affect their ability to access the most productive ocean areas!

Click here to send a letter to the Fish and Game Commission expressing your concerns with the revised regulations, and the MLPA in general, before the October 18 deadline. Thank you for doing your part to keep California fishing!