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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - FEBRUARY 2, 2000 Contact: SANCTUARY ANNOUNCES DATES FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS ON DRAFT KELP MANAGEMENT PLAN The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) today announced a new schedule for public meetings on the MBNMS Kelp Management Plan. The document, which was released on January 14, 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. An ongoing issue in the Sanctuary is addressing the appropriate levels and kinds of kelp use. 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. The new meeting schedule announced today is as follows: The public can obtain a copy of the draft plan by contacting Aaron King of the Sanctuary staff at 831-647-4257 or ?aaron.king@noaa.govØ. The draft kelp plan is also available from the Sanctuary website at: http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/research/techreports/kelpreportfinal/welcome.html
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