Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JANUARY 17, 2000

Contact:
CONTACT: Aaron King
(831) 595-5082
(831) 647-4257
aaron.king@noaa.gov

SANCTUARY RELEASES DRAFT KELP MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) today announced release of its draft MBNMS Kelp Management Plan. The document is the first of two drafts which will result in a position and an overall set of recommendations from the MBNMS to the State of California with regard to kelp use in the Sanctuary.

The public is invited to review the draft MBNMS Kelp Management Plan and help shape any final recommendations. The process is expected to take about six months. At the end of the process, the final document, along with recommended regulatory changes, if any, will be submitted to the State agencies that manage kelp in California, specifically, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). The DFG and FGC presently intend to adopt a new 2001-2005 kelp management regime, for the entire state, this summer.

?While the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary retains the legal authority to regulate kelp harvesting, we also recognize the historical authority of the California Department of Fish and Game to manage this resource, and prefer at this time to work through that authority rather than issue our own regulations,? stated William J. Douros, Superintendent of the MBNMS. ?We think there is value in the Sanctuary providing some detailed, site-specific recommendations to help all agencies better manage kelp as a valuable resource.?

The appropriate level and kinds of kelp use is an ongoing issue in the Sanctuary. Recently, concerns about kelp harvesting in the Sanctuary have been heightened due to plans for new abalone farms within the region. In addition, the area from the Monterey Breakwater to LoverØs Point, as well as areas off Santa Cruz, have received some recent attention due to kelp use-conflicts between recreational and commercial users.

?During the winter months when kelp growth is slow and storms have reduced the amount of kelp along the shoreline, various users of the kelp compete for it,? according to Dr. Steve Webster of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Chairman of the SanctuaryØs Advisory Council. ?Kelp harvesters, who use the kelp to feed farm-raised abalone, and only remove the upper kelp canopy, can come into conflict over forest aesthetics with non-consumptive users such as kayak renters and recreational divers.?

The Sanctuary envisions development of its Kelp Management Plan in two steps. The first step, todayØs release of the Environmental Setting for kelp in the Sanctuary, provides a baseline of environmental and policy information for the public and other agencies. The public comments on the Environmental Settings will help the Sanctuary develop recommendations for the state. When released later in the Spring, the recommended actions will also be open for public comment and input.

Over the course of the next few weeks, a series of meetings will be held on this portion of the draft MBNMS Kelp Management Plan, culminating in a discussion at the MBNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) on February 4, 2000 at the Seymour Center, Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, California.

The public can obtain a copy of the draft plan, or a list of the public meetings that will be held, by contacting Aaron King of the Sanctuary staff at 831-647-4257 or ?aaron.king@noaa.gov?. The draft kelp plan is also available on the Sanctuary website at:

http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/research/techreports/kelpreportfinal/welcome.html

-end-