Comments on: Kelp beds may soon be off-limits for fishing

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:39:32 +0000

We are about to lose our fishing rights! People opposed to fishing have taken on the cloak of environmental activism in an effort to shut down all fishing in the USA and have moved the fight to southern California. These people are well funded, politically savvy and will stop at nothing in an effort to ban all fishing in our state at any cost. In the beginning the MLPA was viewed as a scientific method of stabilizing fish stocks in the coastal areas of our country. Unfortunately no science has been used in the So Cal process, only heart felt opinions held by people that think Disney films are based on science, i.e. Penguins talk and dance don’t they? As fishermen we want sustainable fish stocks, clean pollution free water and access to the ocean so we can continue 10,000 years of fishing legacy. How is this different from what the environmentalist want, its not! That’s the issue here; they want to put an end to fishing in the USA bottom line and will not stop until fishing is illegal.

As a responsible fisherman I am opposed to no take fish reserves that do nothing to increase threatened fish stocks but do allow special interests and organizations with massive amounts of money and influence to control our oceans and beach access. Enough is too much especially during a time when our economic future is at stake and the MLPA’s will suck up another $45 million dollars a year at today’s estimation while providing no science to show it can improve fish stocks at any level.

By: Cristina G

Cristina G — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:44:19 +0000

The thing is it wasn’t the 20 million people FISHING at Swamis that caused the demise. It was 20 million people’s worth of water pollution that caused the oceans problems. However you choose to regulate fishing will not change the water quality issues. Ask an old timer if he ever got sick from surfing after a storm and you’ll hear a different story too. One man’s protection is another man’s exclusion. We could all share a clean ocean.

By: SwamisSurfer

SwamisSurfer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:14:28 +0000

Swami’s is a great fishing spot; but it was even better back before SoCal had 20 million people living there – talk to any old-timer that has been fishing SoCal since the 50s or 60s; and they’ll tell you about the days when they could walk onto the reef at Swami’s at low tide, and pick abalone off the rocks for dinner.

Protecting Swami’s in a reserve (that will still allow for spearfishing) will help to restore the abundance that once was at one of the most beautiful, biologically important places in North County.