Malibu Council OKs Revised Plan for Marine Sanctuary

The Malibu City Council has approved a scaled-back version of a marine refuge, limiting the proposed coastal sanctuary to two small no-take zones and designated tide pools after legislators said they could not back a more extensive plan.

In letters to the city, Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) said they supported the concept of a refuge, but added that there is a lack of scientific data supporting the need for a sanctuary as large as the one the council originally backed. That plan included a ban on commercial fishing along 27 miles of the coastline, creating one of the biggest marine preserves in the state.

“I don’t want to bring a bill [before the Legislature] that’s DOA,” Kuehl said. “I want the people in Malibu and all along the coast to know I’m very serious about this and I think it’s an important matter . . . but my job is to make sure we have a bill that passes.”

The smaller version of the marine refuge approved Wednesday night matches the concept supported by a UCLA report the city commissioned last fall to determine the need for coastal protection.

Although the study recommended a limited refuge, the City Council voted in December for a more expansive sanctuary that would have prohibited commercial fishing along the city’s coastline, sparking protests from fisherman.

Some City Council members expressed disappointment that the legislators declined to support a larger refuge, arguing that they were bowing to fishing industry pressures.

“I think [a more extensive refuge] is needed . . . but the political facts of life are that the fisherman have a very powerful lobby,” said Councilman Walt Keller.