MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL FINAL Annual Report October 1, 1997 - September 30, 1998 INTRODUCTION The past year marked the end of the original non-governmental Advisory Council members' terms, as well as a change in the Council's leadership. The Sanctuaries and Reserves Division re-appointed most members to their seats for another three-year term, however, a change in the structure of the Council added alternate representatives to the non-governmental seats. Three new Advisory Council members were appointed as primary representatives for the following seats: At-Large, Diving, and Recreation. Alternate members were appointed for all twelve non-governmental seats. The Sanctuary office swore-in new primary governmental representatives for the Harbors seat and the Enforcement seat. See Attachment 1. Karin Strasser Kauffman stepped down as Chair after four years of service. The new Advisory Council elected Steve Webster as their Chair, and Ed Brown as their Secretary. Rachel Saunders remains the Vice Chair. The Advisory Council held a total of six meetings and one retreat in alternate locations throughout the Sanctuary, and participated in one MBNMS Staff/Advisory Council workshop. The Advisory Council also attended a reception welcoming its new members as well as the Sanctuary's new Superintendent, William Douros. The reception was attended by many of the region's prominent and active Sanctuary supporters. Of special note, the Advisory Council was presented with a Certificate of Recognition for the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards Program. See Attachment 2. WORKING GROUPS The Council's three working groups - the Conservation Working Group (CWG), the Research Activity Panel (RAP), and the Sanctuary Education Panel (SEP) - each respectively dealing with matters of conservation, research and education, met regularly throughout the year and provided information and advice to the Advisory Council and Sanctuary Superintendent. The Business and Tourism Activity Panel (BTAP) resumed its meeting schedule in March and is currently meeting bi-monthly. This year the CWG, chaired by Rachel Saunders (Vice Chair-Vicki Nichols), addressed some of the keystone issues facing the Sanctuary. Vessel traffic has been a priority issue for the CWG since its inception, with the CWG responsible for crafting the SAC resolution on this issue. Four CWG members actively participated on the Vessel Traffic Workgroup, successfully developing a package of vessel traffic management strategies just adopted by the Navigation Safety Advisory Council (NAVSAC) on November 21, 1998. The CWG also raised the issue of delays in the issuance of a federal "ticket book" to aid Sanctuary enforcement; through the CWG's advocacy the Advisory Council wrote a letter to NOAA officials which has succeeded in getting the development of the penalty schedule back on track. The CWG was also a strong advocate for addressing the live fish fishery issue, joining with other Advisory Council members in communicating concerns to the CDFG. Several CWG members (Center for Marine Conservation, Save Our Shores, Coastal Watershed Council) have strengthened and expanded crucial volunteer-based Sanctuary outreach programs (BAY NET and Sanctuary Stewards). CWG members have also been key participants in discussions, workshops and other forums on issues such as kelp harvesting, sea otter management, the establishment of marine parks/reserves and the conflict between pinnipeds and some fisheries. The RAP, chaired by Gregor Cailliet (Vice Chair-Richard Starr), met nine times at different locations each time. At each meeting, institutional updates provided RAP members with current information about marine research activities. The RAP provided input to the Sanctuary Advisory Council and MBNMS staff on diver disturbance in kelp beds, the Sustainable Seas Expedition, the Coast Highway 1 Management Plan, the expanding live fish fishery, and the programs for the 1998 Sanctuary Currents Symposium. In addition, the RAP helped coordinate sea floor mapping activities, the McArthur cruise, and developing the Naval Post Graduate School shared tank facility. The RAP also participated in the newly developed Monterey Bay Crescent Ocean Research Consortium (MBCORC) and provided input on their planned regional GIS and research coordination/funding projects. The main contribution of the RAP was enhanced communication among individuals representing the increasing number of scientists at the many marine science facilities in the MBNMS area. Dorris Welch stepped down as the SEP Chair and the group elected Jeff Bryant as the new SEP Chair and Patricia Clark-Gray as the Vice Chair. Dorris continues to represent the Education seat on the Advisory Council. The SEP met monthly in 1998 and has expanded membership, especially to the southern region of the Sanctuary and to colleges. The panel trained 23 educators to lead environmental issues forums and submitted a successful proposal to involve teachers and students in the Sustainable Seas Expeditions program. The panel plans to complete a draft five-year regional marine education strategy by year's end for review by Sanctuary staff early in 1999. The (BTAP) resumed its meeting schedule with the appointment of the Sanctuary's new Superintendent. William Douros met with the members to discuss issues related to the business and tourism industry and to discuss the role of the panel. Throughout the year, the panel focused primarily on the issue of kelp harvesting. The group was presented with a kelp harvesters cooperative late in the year. Six businesses constitute the cooperative whose preamble states that their function is to work cooperatively amongst themselves and with other non-consumptive users of kelp to ensure sustainable harvest of kelp consistent with resource protection. RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS The Advisory Council held their annual retreat in the spring to discuss priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, and followed-up with a first ever Staff/Advisory Council workshop in the summer. The outcomes focused on procedural changes in Advisory Council meetings, strengthening the relationship between the Advisory Council and the staff, and strategic planning. The Sanctuary Superintendent requested that the Council provide future assistance in addressing the national program's thrusts: human activities assessment and threat reduction, zonal management, reauthorization, water quality and habitat characterization. MAJOR ISSUES, ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS Live Fish Fishery Council members concerned about the increasing market for live fish requested a presentation on the issue from a California Department of Fish and Game representative. The fishery takes live fish, transports them in tanks to Asian food markets and restaurants, which then sell the fish in tanks to customers who pay for the opportunity to select their food live. The live fishing industry in California primarily supplies the Los Angeles and San Francisco area Asian markets and restaurants. Due to its increasing popularity, prices have escalated to four to ten times more than the prices for dead fish. Because of the increased demand, the California live fishing industry has grown rapidly in the past five years. Sixty-six different nearshore fish species are taken in the live fishery. Those that are "plate-sized" are selected, which often means that fish which have not yet reproduced are being removed. The Advisory Council is concerned about the lack of effective State regulation of this particular fishery, especially because many of the targeted species are already facing impact from the fishing industry. After initial discussions on this issue, the Sanctuary Superintendent requested that the RAP investigate the state of knowledge about the live fishery and its management. In turn, the Advisory Council recommended that the Superintendent send a letter to the California Department of Fish and Game expressing the concern of the Sanctuary and its Advisory Council regarding this issue, and requesting that the agency address the issues raised in the Superintendent's letter to the RAP, and that the agency present updated data at a future Advisory Council meeting. Assessment of the National Marine Sanctuary Program DeWitt John, National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), traveled to MBNMS to assess the National Marine Sanctuary Program through interviews with Advisory Council members, staff, and user groups and stakeholders. NAPA is an independent, non-partisan organization chartered by Congress to identify emerging issues of governance and assist Federal, State, and local governments in addressing these issues. Mr. John is managing the marine sanctuaries project and a four-person advisory panel will guide the work. Mr. John orally presented his initial impressions to the Advisory Council at its August meeting: … MBNMS has been a useful tool in preventing offshore oil drilling. … MBNMS has some additional regulations, i.e., motorized personal watercraft, shark chumming, jade. … MBNMS has received a lot of national attention due to its resources. … MBNMS has worked as a partner and coordinator in several issues - vessel traffic safety, water quality, elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, etc. The Sanctuary has created synergy among researchers and educators, and has exceptional volunteer activity. Mr. John found that the questions about the Sanctuary include: … What is the role of MBNMS regarding fisheries? … How can the Sanctuary manage massive numbers of volunteers? … What are the tangible results of sanctuaries? How can these results be assessed? How can the Sanctuary Program be implemented, and how can it be compelling to citizens? Council member Chet Forrest followed up on Mr. John's visit by meeting with him in Washington, D.C. Vessel Traffic Safety The Vessel Traffic Work Group continued its regularly scheduled meetings throughout the beginning of the year, and in June it presented a draft package of vessel traffic management strategies to the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council has been heavily involved with this issue since its establishment. In July, 1994 the Council held a public workshop on vessel traffic where a variety of panelists addressed this issue. At the workshop Council members expressed their desire to see prompt action taken to prevent oil spills. As a follow-up the Council adopted a written resolution and sent it to the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA in September, 1994. The resolution identified the risk of oil spills from vessel traffic as a serious and significant threat to the sanctuary and called on the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA to give high priority to implementation of oil spill prevention policies and regulations. Three years later in 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard finally released its report to Congress, a report that suggested further study rather than specific actions. The Advisory Council, frustrated with the delays and the lack of specific action on the issue, requested that the U.S. Coast Guard establish an effective process for identifying specific vessel traffic management recommendations and incorporating public input. The Work Group process established by the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA in May, 1997 addressed the Council's request and several of Council members participated as members of the Work Group. The Work Group took their charge very seriously and worked extremely hard to reach consensus between industry, government and conservation leaders on a package of strategies that, taken together, were deemed necessary, effective and viable. The Work Group's presentation of the strategy package to the Council in June 1998 received overwhelming endorsement from the Council, who subsequently sent strong letters of support to NAVSAC, the U.S. Coast Guard's Navigation Safety Advisory Council. Coast Highway 1 Management Plan In response to a presentation by a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) representative on the Coast Highway 1, the Council became actively involved in the development of a management plan for the highway. The Coast Highway Management Plan (CHMP) is the continuation of an effort that has been underway for a number of years but has been given a high priority in the aftermath of the 1998 storms which resulted in the closure of Highway 1 for three and a half months. The CHMP is a two-phase effort - Phase I is intended to provide a prepared response to 1998/1999 storm damage while Phase II is intended to be a comprehensive planning effort to address corridor management on a large scale. The Phase I planning effort, targeted for completion by December 1998, is intended to develop interagency agreement and facilitate storm damage response for future years. The Phase II planning effort will build on the efforts of Phase I. The CHMP is important to the Sanctuary for two reasons: 1) Caltrans has requested to dispose material into the Sanctuary in the past and will more than likely continue to do so; and 2) Highway 1 is a destination which provides an expansive view of the Sanctuary. The CHMP is being shaped by a group of "shareholders" through which various interests - regulatory, community, special-interest, public - are represented and help shape the plan. The Advisory Council is represented on this group, which will be involved in developing the plan from its conception and will ensure the proper level of involvement by various interests along the way. Collection at Jade Cove The Council continued to support proposed changes in Sanctuary regulations which would permit the continued collection of jade in a limited area, under limited conditions. The Council's work on jade collection also led to the proposed recommendations to establish a Sanctuary permit system for the collection of larger rocks. After several years of hard work on the part of the Council, the Jade Rule was finalized and published in the Federal Register on June 16. Invasive Species Regarding the increasing problem of invasive species within the waters of California, the Advisory Council focused on vessel ballast discharge by sending letters to State agencies urging the State to take action to prohibit the discharge of ballast water within the Sanctuary. Jason Project As a result of the Advisory Council's concern that local students did not have access to the Jason Project's live broadcasts, TCI provided the live broadcasts of a portion of the Jason Project. The Jason Project's mission is to get students excited about science and technology, and is best known for its ocean programs. The project's most recent expedition took place in Monterey and Bermuda, heavily highlighted the Sanctuary program, and reached an audience of two million students world-wide. Council members attended a behind-the-scenes event at the expedition's headquarters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Kelp Harvesting off Cannery Row The Council continued its work with regional Monterey Bay kelp harvesters to assist them in establishing a non-regulatory cooperative which would control takes of kelp. The issue of harvesting kelp off Cannery Row has sparked a user group conflict between members of the tourism industry and kelp harvesters. The Council is working with the user groups in hopes of reaching voluntary cooperation among the harvesters and other users, rather than state or federal government regulatory action. MBNMS Advisory Council Annual Report FINAL 10/1/97 - 9/30/98