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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 Lover's 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: Regarding Research and Science Issues MBNMS Research Activities Panel (RAP) February 11, 2000, 10:30 AM to Noon - Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, California Regarding Conservation Issues MBNMS Conservation Working Group (CWG) February 15, 2000, 9 AM to Noon - Moss Landing Harbor Office, Moss Landing, California Regarding Any and All Issues MBNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) February 4, 2000, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM - Seymour Center, Long Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, California. Open Public Forums February 15, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Veteran's Memorial Building, 1000 Main Street, Cambria, California February 17, 2000, 7:00 to 9:00 PM - El Granada Elementary School, 400 Santiago, El Granada, California The public can obtain a copy of the draft plan by calling the Sanctuary staff at 831-647-4201. The draft kelp plan is also available from the Sanctuary website here. -end- |
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