MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL

FINAL Meeting Minutes
June 5, 1998
The Douglas Beach House
Half Moon Bay

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) Advisory Council met on 
Friday, June 5, 1998 at the Douglas Beach House in Half Moon Bay.  Public categories 
and government agencies were present as indicated:

Agriculture: Richard Nutter
Diving: Ken Lundie

AMBAG: Katherine Beiers
Education: Dorris Welch

At Large: Steve Webster, Chair
Enforcement: Doug Huckins

At Large: Erik Schmidt
Fishing: Dave Danbom

At Large: Chet Forrest
Ports & Harbors: Steve Scheiblauer

Business & Industry: Ted Balestreri
Recreation:  Takashi Hattori

CA EPA: Marc Del Piero
Research:  Greg Cailliet

CA Coastal Commission: Tami Grove
Tourism:  Ed Brown

CA Resources Agency: Brian Baird
U.S. Coast Guard: LCDR Phyllis Blanton

Conservation: Rachel Saunders
                                  NOT PRESENT


The following non-voting members were present as indicated:

Monterey Bay NMS:  William Douros
Gulf of the Farallones NMS and Cordell Bank NMS:  Ed Ueber
Channel Islands NMS:  Ed Cassano - NOT PRESENT
Elkhorn Slough NERR:  Becky Christensen - NOT PRESENT

I.	CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, SWEARING-IN OF NEW MEMBER,
	APPROVAL OF APRIL 3, 1998 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES,
	REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE, ANNOUNCEMENTS

A)	Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 9:05 a.m.

B)	Welcome and Roll Call

The Chair welcomed the Advisory Council members and the public to Half Moon Bay 
and thanked Ken Lundie for his efforts in securing meeting space at the Douglas Beach 
House.  Ed Brown conducted the roll call.

C)	Swearing-In of New Member

Sanctuary Superintendent, Bill Douros, conducted the swearing-in of Research 
Alternate, Richard Starr.

D)	Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes from the April 3, 1998 Advisory Council meeting were approved as 
presented.

E)	Review of Correspondence

The Chair passed out the sign-up folder for Advisory Council correspondence written 
since the last Council meeting.

F)	Announcements

The Chair announced that Advisory Council Coordinator, Lisa de Marignac, will be 
on leave June 17-July 9.  If complete meeting information packets are not mailed out 
prior to her departure, be advised that the next Advisory Council meeting is 
scheduled for August 7, 1998 at Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria.  Coffee and sign-in 
will start at 9:00 a.m. with the meeting called to order at 9:30 a.m.

II.	SELF-INTRODUCTION BY NEW PRIMARY SAC MEMBER

Doug Huckins - Enforcement Representative is employed by the California 
Department of Fish and Game (CDFG).  His range extends from San Luis Obispo to 
north of the Oregon border.  He moved to California in the 1970s and has spent 24 
years on the central coast.  He has extensive military diving experience and has spent 
the last three years as the Captain of the Bluefin.  He started his current position in 
January 1998.  Doug believes in enforcement with common sense.  Dave Danbom 
commended Doug for his good relationship with fishermen.

III.	FAREWELL TO JOE TOWNSEND

The Chair welcomed former Advisory Council member Joe Townsend, thanked him 
for his service, and presented him with a plaque.  Joe stated that he received more 
satisfaction and reward in working with the Advisory Council than he has with any 
other community group.  Steve Scheiblauer commended Joe for his work with 
Sanctuary designation.  Steve Webster thanked Joe for his honesty while serving on 
the Advisory Council.

IV.	PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA

Dave Iverson, former Advisory Council member, expressed his concern about the 
organization, Save Our Bay (SOB), headed by Oscar Braun.  According to Dave,  SOB 
invokes the name and the logo of MBNMS to benefit their own causes.  SOB has also 
used the Department of Commerce logo.  Dave believes the activities of SOB are 
confusing the local public about the Sanctuary and its mission.  He referred to 
newspaper articles and brochures.  Discussion ensued among Council members.

Dave Dixon, Manager of Sewer Authority Mid-coastside, also expressed concern about 
SOB furthering its own political purposes by utilizing MBNMS.  According to Mr. 
Dixon, SOB has also villanized Sewer Authority.

Bill Douros, MBNMS Superintendent, reviewed the Sanctuary¹s history with SOB and 
Oscar Braun.  He stated that the Sanctuary office might find it necessary to send a letter 
to the editor clarifying the issue.  Ken Lundie confirmed that locals are confused about 
the relationship between the between the Sanctuary, SOB and Save Our Shores.

V.	DISCUSSION:  MBNMS STAFF/SAC WORKSHOP

Tami Grove reviewed the purpose, goals and products of the strategic planning task 
force.  The task force would now like to coordinate the cycles of the Advisory Council 
with those of the Sanctuary.  Unresolved issues from the April 2 Retreat are next year¹s 
action plan and identification of outstanding or important issues.

To address these issues and others, a Staff/SAC Workshop is tentatively planned for 
July 24, 1998.  Tami suggested that a small group consisting of Sanctuary staff and 
strategic planning task forces members meeting prior to July 24 to develop an agenda.  
Advisory Council members agreed to set July 24 as the Staff/SAC Workshop.  Lisa de 
Marignac will forward the April 2, 1998 Retreat summary to Advisory Council 
members.

Advisory Council members suggested the following people meet prior to July 24 to 
set an agenda:  Steve Webster, Rachel Saunders, Dorris Welch, Bill Douros, and Lisa de 
Marignac.

Bill Douros suggested including in the July 24 workshop the following ³thrusts and 
priorities² resulting from the June Sanctuary Managers Meeting.

Five-year Thrusts:

… marine zoning
… water quality
… cultural resources
… human activities assessment; threat reduction
… habitat characterization

FY99 Priorities:

… marine zoning - management plan review; establish policy; extrapolate tools and 
models.
… water quality - establish and implement a system-wide monitoring program; 
establish policy framework.
… cultural resources - designate Thunder Bay; complete system-wide plan.
… human activities assessment/threat reduction - system-wide assessment; tools.
… habitat characterization - establish protocols; inventory habitat characterizations.
… reauthorization - identify outcome.
… marine learning center/visitor¹s center

VI.	ANNUAL IN-DEPTH REPORT:  ENFORCEMENT AND PERMITS

Scott Kathey, MBNMS staff, gave a presentation on Sanctuary permitting and 
enforcement.  Scott reviewed prohibited activities within the Sanctuary boundaries, 
exceptions to the prohibitions, approval classifications, and permit considerations.  
Scott pointed out that at the August 1997 which OCRM Director Jeff Benoit attended, 
the Advisory Council requested that the Sanctuary Superintendent be granted the 
authority to approve authorizations.  Within two months, the MBNMS Superintendent 
was given this authority.

Scott performed a ³walk-through² of the Sanctuary Permits Information Tracking 
System (SPITS).  Scott processes 30-40 permits per year and conducts monitoring and 
inspections.

The Sanctuary Enforcement philosophy is ³Resource Protection Through Preventative 
Enforcement.²  This philosophy promotes voluntary compliance with Sanctuary 
regulations through a preventative enforcement approach that includes public 
awareness, user contact, and a high-profile field presence.  In this respect, the 
Sanctuary is very dependent on docent organizations such as BAYNET and Friends of 
the Elephant Seal.

As a result of the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperative Enforcement 
Agreement between the Sanctuary and CDFG, Scott has conducted enforcement 
training sessions and deputized twenty-two CDFG wardens as Sanctuary enforcers.  
Through this agreement, the Sanctuary Enforcement Program has received new 
zodiacs and has a ranger at Limekiln State Park performing enforcement.

Scott is currently dealing with nine elephant seal harassment cases and one personal 
watercraft violation.  Past cases include sea lion takes and sea wall construction.

The current enforcement funds will run out in two years and Scott would like the 
Advisory Council¹s assistance in identifying future funding sources.

Scott announced that the Jade Rule will be finalized on June 16, 1998 and that a rule is 
pending on overflights.

VII.	SANCTUARY OFFICE REPORTS

Bill Douros provided a verbal and written report on MBNMS activities.  See 
Attachment A.  Additions to the written report included:

… Reconstruction of Highway 1 is underway at southern end of the Sanctuary; 
CALTRANS is disposing over 200,000 cubic yards of material at 3 sites, between 
the highway and the ocean; the disposal material is being packed down and 
CALTRANS is planting ground cover.
… The National Ocean Conference will consist of a two-day conference on June 11-12 
by invitation only; on June 10, NOAA is hosting a reception at the Nelson Gallery 
in Monterey; all Advisory Council members are welcome to attend.; the Oceans 
Fair will be held at the Customs House Plaza on June 12, noon - 8:00 p.m.

Ed Ueber provided a verbal report on GFNMS/CBNMS activities.  Highlights 
included:

… The Sanctuary assisted in the acquisition of an old redwood forest.
… GFNMS/CBNMS and MBNMS have scheduled their second joint staff meeting for 
July 10.
… Ed and Bill Douros are working on the co-management document.
… An ATOC meeting is scheduled for July regarding the request for an extension on 
the mandatory removal of cable due to weather.
… The Common Murre Restoration Project received $5.9 million from an oil spill; 
$1.8 million is being used to purchase Marbled Murrelet habitat.

VIII.	PRESENTATION:  VESSEL MANAGEMENT PACKAGE

Bill Douros announced that the Vessel Management package has been completed and 
introduced U.S. Coast Guard Commander Sharpe.  Commander Sharpe would like to 
use his presentation to conduct a practice run prior to the public workshop in order to 
get comments and suggestions from the Advisory Council.  Commander Sharpe 
presented a background on the Vessel Management work group and the work group¹s 
proposed package.

Approximately 4,000 transists occur within Sanctuary waters each year, which breaks 
down to twelve per day, or one every two hours.  The bulk of the traffic travels from 2 
1/2 - 15 miles offshore.  The majority of the hazardous vessels travel out to 25 miles 
offshore; the majority of crude oil tankers travel 50 - 100 miles offshore.  For an 
economic perspective, one large container ship carries $1 billion in cargo.

Current vessel management measures include an offshore vessel movement reporting 
system, traffic separation schemes, a 50-mile offshore agreement among tankers, and 
information provided to mariners.

The Vessel Management work group has been meeting monthly for the past year.  Its 
general approach has been to identify synthesized recommendations from past 
studies; to evaluate the effectiveness of the recommendations, the economic impacts, 
social/stakeholder considerations, and institutional feasibility; and to develop a 
comprehensive package emphasizing prevention, rather than cleanup.

Recognizing that spills can potentially occur from any transiting vessel carrying crude 
oil, bunker fuel, or other hazardous material, the workgroup focused its review on 
four major categories of vessels:  laden tankers carrying crude oil, black oil or other 
persistent liquid cargo in bulk; Hazmat ships carrying hazardous materials in bulk, 
including petroleum products; barges carrying oil or hazardous materials in bulk; and 
LCVs greater than 300 gross tons.

The work group¹s proposed strategies include:

… Distance from Shore
… Traffic Separation Schemes
… Monitoring and Reporting
… Rescue Vessel Network
… Near-miss Reporting
… Education

Implementation mechanisms include tankers would involve industry agreement, 
USCG involvement, and diplomatic means.  Mechanisms for barges would involve 
industry agreement and USCG involvement, and mechanisms for LCVs and Hazmat 
vessels would involve IMO-approved recommended routes.

The work groups timeline is as follows:  four public meetings in June 1998, finalized 
recommendations by August 1998, approval by NOAA and USCG by the fall 1998, 
submission to navigation safety council in October 1998, report to Congress, submit to 
IMO, and begin national implementation.

Commander Sharpe opened the floor for questions and comments.  Council members 
and the public offered the following comments/concerns:

… proposal increases tanker traffic around GFNMS;
… a tracking system needs to be in place in the Pt. Sur area where the vessels come 
close to the coastline;
… improve readability and graphics on the ³Implementation/Routing Chart² slide;
… include a description of the IMO for the public;
… differentiate from the onset the between large and small vessels;
… address collision avoidance;
… emphasize next steps, the willingness of the work group to push the package, and 
explain up front why some measures are not in the package.

Council members complimented the work group on its proposed package, stating that 
this result is far better than the one two years ago.

For further details on the proposed strategies, see Attachment B.

IX.	REPORT:  SUSTAINABLE SEAS EXPEDITION PROJECT

Andrew De Vogelaere, MBNMS, gave a presentation on the Sustainable Seas 
Expeditions project (SSE).  The project¹s purposes are to conduct marine exploration 
using submersibles, to elevate Sanctuaries to the level of National Parks, and to 
establish field monitoring stations.  The projects is funded for five years at $5 million 
from the Golden Foundation and $775,000 from the National Geographic Foundation.  
The principal investigators on the grant are Sylvia Earle, Francesca Cava, Steve 
Gittings, and Bill Riley.

Training for the project will run October through December (one week intervals) at 
MBARI, for scientists and Sanctuary personnel.  MBNMS¹ project period will be April 1 
- 19, 1999.  Potential projects include rockfish observations in natural and man-made 
harvest refugia areas, a marine observatory for squid, and study of krill movements.  
In addition to the research and education, SSE will be a good public relations 
opportunity for the Sanctuary.

Doug Huckins, CDFG, suggested that the Mako might serve as a good research vessel 
for the Deep Worker and would possibly allow other marine scientists to work on 
their projects at the same time.

X.	REPORT:  DIATOM BLOOMS

Andrew De Vogelaere, MBNMS, reported on the toxic diatoms present in increasing 
levels starting on May 11, 1998 off Santa Cruz.  The concentrations have increased and 
moved to central Monterey Bay.  The neurotoxin has been detected in the guts of 
anchovies collected in slicks.  High numbers of sea lions have been observed seizing; 
beach surveys have also revealed high numbers of dead pups as well.  Four sea lion 
brain analyses indicate impacts of the neurotoxin.  The Department of Health closed 
the shellfish fishery.

Ongoing efforts to address the issue include offshore surveys for broader plankton 
assessment, correlation of plankton distribution and abundance with beach survey 
data, more histology, and early detection models.

XI.	ANNUAL IN-DEPTH WORKING GROUP REPORT:  CWG

Rachel Saunders presented a verbal and written report on the CWG.  See Attachment 
C.  Rachel emphasized that the public outreach component is one of the most vital and 
unique roles the group can play.  Discussion ensued regarding the issue of man-made 
noise in the Sanctuary.

Bill Douros recognized the incredible efforts of volunteers along the Central Coast.

XII.	DISCUSSION:  SAC INVOLVEMENT IN BIRTHDAY 
			     CELEBRATIONS

Bill Douros discussed the possibility of limiting to the Sanctuary Birthday celebrations 
or moving them around the coastline.  Council members suggested joining existing 
celebrations in the Cambria and Morro Bay areas, such as the Harbor Festival.

XIII.	ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS

Steve Scheiblauer - there are boat tours available during NOC.
Doug Huckins - CDFG is conducting a dedication ceremony for the Sanctuary 
enforcement inflatables during the NOC.
Greg Cailliet - reviewed the main points of the recent RAP meetings.
Chet Forrest - suggested taking press and politicians on a boat tour prior to a birthday 
celebration in Cambria; Diablo Canyon Research Lab is closing; PG&E has agreed to 
give the lab to anyone who has the money to run it.
Ed Brown - reviewed the May 20 BTAP meeting; agenda items were NOC, kelp 
harvesting and a tourism summit.
Ken Lundie - expressed concern about the four permits for aquaculture businesses in 
Pillar Point Harbor.
Rachel Saunders - announced that the CMC document ³Agenda for the Oceans² is 
available.


The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Lisa de Marignac
MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator

ENC

MBNMS Office Report
Proposed Vessel Management Strategies
Annual In-Depth CWG Report
SAC Meeting Minutes - June 5, 1998		FINAL 




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