SOUNDING OFF: A marine reserve makes sense

The Marine Life Protection Act was signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis in early 1999. What the law did was direct the state to design and manage a network of protected marine areas, including an improved marine reserve component to protect marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems, natural marine heritage, as well as improve recreational, educational and study opportunities.

There are three types of marine protected areas (MPAs) that can be established:

?state marine reserves, which prohibit recreational fishing and all other forms of recreational and commercial “extraction.”

?state marine parks, which place limits on recreation fishing and ban commercial fishing.

?state marine conservation areas, where only certain activities that might compromise the integrity of the area might be limited.

While the marine reserve area is the most restrictive, it provides the greatest benefit to the health of the oceans. Implementation of reserve areas around the globe have repeatedly proven the science and the concept. Reserves renew the ecosystem and produce bigger fish. These bigger fish lay more eggs that drift between the reserve systems, creating more fish. Larger fish swim outside the reserve areas and increase the fish population at large.

One of the most successful examples comes from New Zealand, where Bill Ballantine, now 72 years old, doggedly pursued the idea of creating a no-take reserve along the coastline of Northland. His battle began in 1965 when he floated his idea to commercial fisherman. Half of them said, “No problem.” The other half said, “We’ll kill you.”

What eventually turned the public tide was a more rapid deterioration of the sea floor than anyone “” including Bill “” had anticipated. A type of sea urchin suddenly decimated large swaths of the reef. Its former predators, snapper and the spiny lobster had been fished out, which allowed the urchin to multiply in astounding numbers and consume everything in their path.

With the creation of the Goat Island Bay Reserve and the elimination of fishing in a 2-mile area, the reversal was almost immediate.

Kelp grew back and snapper became abundant and fearless. For reasons not fully understood, areas closed to fishing become prime habitats for aggregation of snapper and spiny lobster. Their density is 15 times higher in the reserve than outside its boundaries.

Commercial fishermen, once the fiercest opponent of the reserve system, have reaped the bounty. A process that biologists call spillover “” the outward migration of species “” have filled their traps, their lines and replenished their livelihood.

Most of us don’t realize how depleted our local waters have become.

We aren’t fully aware of the richness of old levels, and accept current conditions as an example of a healthy ocean. For those who have spent decades in Laguna’s coves and reefs, the shift in conditions is obvious. The plentiful stocks of snapper, lobster and abalone are a distant memory. As Ballantine said, “If nothing is left intact or pristine, how can you know what damage has occurred?”

Marine biologists echo his sentiments with a horrific evaluation that 90% of the sea’s population has disappeared in the last 50 years.

California is the first state in the United States to implement a Marine Life Protection Act, with a forward-looking strategy for research, education and stewardship. Supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Ocean Action Plan,” we are leading the nation in setting a standard for the management of ocean and coastal resources.

The implementation of the act is in phases to allow for scoping meetings. Public commentary, commercial fisherman issues and scientist recommendations are evaluated in determining the size and exact location of the reserves. Ultimately, the task is to blend all the input of constituencies into the workable plan.

Successes close to home include sites such as:

?a dive park in Washington’s Puget Sound, where there are almost 10 times more fish than in the neighboring waters open to fishing.

?Hawaii’s Hanuama Bay, where protection means more corals, more fish and more sightings of rare species that draw thousands of visitors each year.

?a controversial set of closed fishing areas in the Gulf of Maine that has led to dramatic increases in scallop harvests and the beginning of recovery for depleted groundfish.

?a reserve created by the Kennedy Space Center, where record-sized fish are caught just outside the protected area.

?newly protected spawning grounds in Alaskan waters thick with fish.

Phase I of the Marine Life Protection Act was recently finalized for the central coast of California. Phase II, which includes a section of the northern coast, has recently completed public scoping. Phase III, which includes the southern coast and Laguna Beach, is set to begin hearings this year.

Everyone’s input is important and vital in determining how to validate and protect at-odds interests.

The opportunity for Laguna Beach’s coastal region to be afforded full protection is like a tantalizing jewel. I can imagine our seas again teaming with Garibaldi, rock fish, lobster, snapper, anemones and abalone. I can imagine visitors coming here “” not just for our art, great village atmosphere and beaches “” but because of our bountiful sea life, our own aquarium.

There’s a simple message buried in the idea of a new ocean ethic. The oceans and seas are worth saving “” for ourselves, for our children, and for the creatures that call the waters home.

CATHARINE COOPER lives in Laguna Beach.