MBNMS Business and Tourism Activity Panel (BTAP) Minutes January 15th, 2003

Meeting Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Time: 9:30-11:30 AM
Location: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Attendance:

• Dave Ebert, BTAP Chair, SAC Business/Industry Representative
• Rachel Saunders, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Sean Morton, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Michael Bekker, Cannery Row Company, Monterey
• Steve Schieblauer, Monterey Harbor, City of Monterey
• Art Seavey, Monterey Abalone Company
• Tony Warman, SAC Business Alternate
• Steve Abbott, Duke Energy, Moss Landing
• Kathy Fosmark, Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
• Jorge Corral Meza, West Marine

Draft Meeting Notes – a Brief Summary of the Meeting’s Proceedings.

Welcome and Introductions:

Dave E., BTAP Chair gave welcoming comments and individual introductions commenced.

Items Not on the Agenda:

1. Steve S. asked that recent SAC discussions about cruise ships be put on the agenda.
2. Dave E. wanted to discuss protocols for the working groups to write letters to the SAC and/or the Sanctuary Superintendent.

Letter Writing Protocols for Working Groups:

Dave E. expressed concerned about the Sanctuary’s stance regarding the protocol for working groups to use to write letters to the SAC and/or Bill Douros, Sanctuary Superintendent. He said that the various working groups seemed to be handling this differently and that one consistent protocol needed to be developed. He indicated that at various times Bill had informed the SAC and BTAP that all letters written by working group chairs to the sanctuary superintendent had to be reviewed and approved by the Superintendent prior to formally submitting them. Several BTAP members questioned this approach and why letters had to be reviewed ahead of time. Dave also raised questions about what actions the working groups could take vs. the SAC. Rachel noted that Bill and SAC Chair Stephanie Harlan were meeting next week to talk about these and other issues. After some discussion BTAP members at the meeting agreed that Dave should write a letter to Bill requesting that Bill, the SAC chair and working group chairs meet to iron out a formal protocol for working groups sending letters to the superintendent and to discuss other working group protocol issues.

December 2002 SAC Meeting:

The focus of this discussion was on the cruise ship item at the December 6, 2002 SAC meeting. At the SAC meeting, the Conservation Working Group (CWG) reviewed a letter they sent addressing 3 issues, one of which was cruise ship discharges. The CWG recommended that a new sanctuary regulation be enacted that would prohibit discharges from cruise ships. While Peter Grenell, SAC Harbor Rep, made a motion calling on the SAC to support adoption of a cruise ship dumping ban, the SAC voted to delay taking action in favor of developing a more formal resolution for consideration by the SAC at their February 2003 meeting. Steve S. reiterated his concern that no prior notification was had made that the SAC was going to take action on this issue at the December meeting and that no one from the cruise industry had been contacted about a possible regulation.. Kathy F. expressed concern that a regulation on cruise ship discharges would open the door to the regulation of other, smaller craft. Tony raised a question as to whether the best approach was to target cruise ships as a “bad industry” or whether the better approach was to lean on them to do a better job. Steve S. indicated that the Sanctuary was doing a good job on the cruise ship issue but felt that studies should be done regarding the impacts from other large vessels too (tankers, military, etc). Mike B. noted the positive aspect of cruise ship visits in terms of good pr for the area and increased business for the area through return visits. For more information on the December SAC meeting please see the SAC meeting minutes located on the Sanctuary’s web site at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/intro/advisory/sac_min.html.

Joint Management Plan Review (JMPR):

Sean Morton provided a brief update on the JMPR process, the issues and the workgroups. For more information on the specific workgroups, please see the JMPR web site at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/jointplan/. Sean was asked whether alternates would be allowed to sit on the workgroups. Sean explained that because it was very important to have as much consistency in participation on the work groups as possible, alternates would not be permitted. Sean indicated that observers would be permitted and that the meetings are open to the public. He also reminded folks that they could certainly contact and talk to any of the workgroup members. Sean was also asked how the workgroups would make decisions. Sean explained a consensus process for coming up with recommendations (the outline for this process is on the web at the JMPR site identified above). If consensus can’t be reach those items, along with the consensus items, will be brought forward to the SAC to consider and then ultimately to the Sanctuary program. Some at the meeting wondered how the SAC would be able to be informed enough to make decisions on such complex issues. Sean said that the SAC will be fully briefed on the findings of each workgroup and will have time to digest the material prior to making any decisions. Kathy F. expressed concern about the make-up of the marine reserves workgroup, contending that it was very heavy with conservation representatives. Kathy also questioned whether the socioeconomic rep on the workgroup was biased. Sean indicated that there was actually a diverse mix of stakeholders on the reserves workgroup and all the other workgroups (e.g., for the list of participants on the marine reserves workgroup please see: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/jointplan/mb_mpa.html).

BTAP Role and Future Directions:

This item was continued from the November meeting and was identified as a focal point of discussion for this meeting. However, time ran out before any discussion could occur. Several people suggested that some additional folks be recruited for the BTAP; specific names mentioned were Hank Armstrong from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Mike B. offered to contact him), folks from kayaking businesses (Kayak Connections was mentioned and Steve S. offered to contact them), and the dive reps on the SAC (Dave E. offered to contact them).

BTAP Meeting Schedule for 2003:

The group agreed on the following meeting schedule for 2003:
Wed, March 19 – Moss Landing Marine Lab (MLML)
Wed, May 21 – Location TBA (but probably MLML)
Wed, July 23 – Location TBA
Wed, Sept 17 – Location TBA
Wed, Nov 19 – Location TBA

The meeting then adjourned.