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MBNMS Conservation Working Group

Meeting Minutes
July 16, 2002

Attendance

Announcements

J. Fisher gave an update on desal, informing the CWG that there would be a meeting on 7/31 at 7pm at Ryan Ranch to discussion desal options including a Carmel areas only plant (in Sand City) and a regional plant. He noted that some Monterey Peninsula Water Board members have expressed opposition to a regional plant.

WA post today reported that Navy had obtained exemption from NOAA regarding LFA activities. KG agreed to email story to CWG members.

S. Shimek gave an update on the CINMS management plan review process. It has a new target completion date of 2005. The process underway in the JMPR has been referred to as “the right way” to do things (i.e., bioregional assessment, science-based, etc).

S. Shimek gave an update on the Moss Landing Harbor Dredging risk assessment process. The CWG asked to agendize this item for a fuller discussion at a future meeting.

K. Gaffney announced that August 17 Clean Water Day would be celebrated at Cowell’s Beach in Santa Cruz.

Sanctuary Report

Holly noted that the Seagrant report on fisheries of the MBNMS was available and passed out copies to CWG members.

The Sanctuary submitted comments on the CDFG Squid Plan

The Alliance may restart its meetings in August.

The Sanctuary is beginning a feasibility study for a visitor center in Santa Cruz or Monterey counties.

The Sanctuary is working on a job description for a uniformed enforcement agent and has developed a “settlement schedule” for issuing tickets to violators of Sanctuary regs at the scene of the violation.

Presentation on New BLM Office

Rick Hanks of the new CA Coastal Monuments office (sharing space at the MBNMS) gave a presentation covering BLM activities, the new monument, jurisdictional issues, partnerships with other agencies, regulatory/enforcement authority, etc. He noted that BLM would be hosting a series of scoping meetings in late August and early September to prepare for a management plan and urged CWG members to participate in this process.

Joint Management Plan Review Update & Discussion of Priorities Document for August SAC meeting

The CWG discussed the Priorities Document and the biographic assessment document. CWG members voiced strong concern over the wording of the new “Fisheries Resources” issue – noting that the issue that had been identified by the MBNMS SAC and the CWG was biodiversity and ecosystem protection NOT fisheries. The CWG also felt that this important and controversial issue was best handled as a site specific rather than cross cutting issue.

The CWG strongly objected to language in the Priorities document that calls for “clarifying the role” of the sanctuaries vis-à-vis fisheries issues noting that the role of the sanctuaries is clearly stated in the FEIS and designation document.

The CWG agreed to ask the SAC to include cruise ship discharges in the proposed Point Source Water Quality Protection Plan.

CWG members asked how the biogeographical assessment data would be used in the management plan and whether NOAA was planning to pursue spatial management or marine zoning as had been done in the FKNMS.

Kaitilin asked CWG members to submit additional questions or concerns on the priority documents to her prior to the August SAC meeting.

Fisheries Updates

The CWG discussed the PFMC’s groundfish closure and the pressure this is likely to place on nearshore fisheries resources and noted that the MBNMS should be working with the PFMC to implement no-take marine reserves based on the information in the biogeographical assessment as well as other data.

CWG members noted that implementing no-take marine reserves is state waters was especially important now, given the predictable shift in effort from deeper waters due to the shelf closure.

Otter update

S. Shimek presented data regarding otter population trends, disease trends, etc. based on research that is in print and about to be in print. Overall trends do not look good.