Press Release

MONTEREY BAY SANCTUARY RELEASES REVISED KELP MANAGEMENT REPORT

Opens 60-day public comment period

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) released a revised MBNMS Kelp Management Report at a Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting in Monterey, CA. The document is the second of two drafts and will ultimately provide the Sanctuary's recommendations to the State of California with regard to kelp use in the Sanctuary.

The public is invited to review and provide comments on the draft Kelp Management Report until August 7, 2000. The Sanctuary will consider these comments before submitting the final MBNMS kelp management Report and recommendations 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 later this fall.

"While the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has the ability to directly regulate kelp harvesting in the Sanctuary, we feel it is more appropriate to coordinate and work within the California Department of Fish and Game's kelp management authority," stated William J. Douros, Superintendent of the MBNMS. "There is value in the Sanctuary providing some detailed, site-specific recommendations to help all agencies better manage kelp as a valuable resource."

Concern about the impact of kelp uses, such as harvesting, was first identified by area citizens during the Sanctuary's designation. The appropriate level and type of kelp use remains an ongoing issue in the Sanctuary. To help address these concerns, the Sanctuary initiated a public process to develop a kelp management Report and recommendations. This process involved an unprecedented level of input from other state and federal resource management agencies, user groups such as divers and kelp harvesters, scientists, conservationists, and the public. Though the process to solicit public input was at times heated, it has ultimately led to a series of recommendations that balance economic and environmental needs.

Some of the specific recommendations include:

• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis of State funding requirements and revenues for kelp management, with recommendations for use of potential excess funds;
• Designation of no-kelp harvest areas along Cannery Row in Monterey;
• Exclusion of most mechanical harvesting north of Point Lobos;
• Establishment of the Monterey Kelp Cooperative as the exclusive harvester for DFG Kelp Bed #220;
• A ban on hand-harvesting of Nereocystis in the MBNMS;
• A recommendation of a statewide 50% kelp bed canopy per year cutting clause in State regulations to reduce the possibility of excessive harvests;
• A call to evaluate the feasibility of kelp enhancement studies;
• Ensuring kelp harvest data per bed (leased or open) remain available to the public on an ongoing basis; and
• Closure of beds north of Año Nuevo in the MBNMS that are not large enough to sustain a reasonable harvest level.

"Kelp Management has been at the top of the Sanctuary's Advisory Council agenda for a while now. The public is interested in this issue from both and environmental and user standpoint," said Stephanie Harlan, Capitola City Councilwoman, and Chairman of the Sanctuary's Advisory Council. "We hope that after the public has the opportunity to weigh in on the Sanctuary's recommendations, the kelp use issue will be satisfactorily resolved, at least until the Department of Fish and Game revisits the issue in 2005."

Over the course of the next few weeks, the Sanctuary will host a series of meetings to get additional public comments on this draft of the MBNMS Kelp Management Report, including an additional discussion at the MBNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting on August 4, 2000. The public meetings planned to date include:

Advisory Council and Working Groups

MBNMS Business and Tourism Activity Panel (BTAP)

• Wednesday, July 26 - 10:00 a.m. to noon, location TBA.

MBNMS Conservation Working Group (CWG)

• Tuesday, June 20, 9 AM to Noon, Moss Landing Harbor Office, Moss Landing, California
  
• Tuesday, July 18, 9 AM to Noon, Moss Landing Harbor Office, Moss Landing, California

MBNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC)

• Friday, June 2, 2000 &endash; 9 AM to 3:30 PM. The Club at Heritage Harbor , 99 Pacific Street Monterey, California. The Kelp Report is scheduled from between 9:30 and 11:30 AM.
  
• Friday, August 4, 2000 - Cambria Pines Lodge, 2905 Burton Drive, Cambria, California.

Public Hearings

• Tuesday, July 11, 2000, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Veteran's Memorial Building, 1000 Main Street, Cambria, California
  
• Wednesday, July 19, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM - Cabrillo College, Room 454, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos, California (be sure and bring 4 quarters for parking; Enter Campus on eastern side)
  
• Thursday, July 20, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM - Half Moon Bay Yacht Club, 214 Princeton Ave., Princeton-by-the-Sea, California
  
• Monday, July 24, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM - City Council Chambers, Monterey City Hall, Pacific & Madison, Monterey, California
  

The public can obtain a copy of the draft report, 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 report is also available on the Sanctuary website at:http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/research/techreports/kelpreport/kelpreport.htm

Click here to view the Monterey Bay NMS Kelp Report Executive Summary

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of 12 marine sanctuaries administered by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Sanctuary extends from southern Marin County to Cambria in San Luis Obispo County, encompassing 300 miles of shoreline and 5,322 square miles of ocean. This remarkably productive coastal environment is home to numerous marine mammals, seabirds, fish, invertebrates and plants. Information on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary may be found at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov