The Partnership for Sustainable Oceans Supports Proposal 2-XA: A Conservation Alternative to Facilitate the MLPA Initiative Process

The Marine Resources Protection Plan was submitted by the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans in the fall of 2007, to be considered as an alternative network of marine protected areas (MPAs) for the North Central Coast phase of California’s Marine Life Protection Act. It was aimed at achieving broad-based conservation of marine resources while ensuring that sustainable recreational activities were available to the public now and into the future. It has now become the foundation of Proposal 2-XA and is one of the options being considered by the Blue Ribbon Task Force as a preferred alternative to be forwarded to the Fish and Game Commission.

Proposal 2-XA strikes a balance between the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) — areas where fishing is restricted or prohibited — and allowing public access to marine resources. There are a variety of MPAs in 2-XA ranging from fully protected “no-take” marine reserves to state marine parks and conservation areas where fishing is allowed although subject to increased regulation.

Proposal 2-XA is designed to enhance local fisheries populations, most specifically groundfish (rockfish) and roundfish (lingcod, cabezone, greenling), the very species that will benefit the most from MPAs.

Marine reserves were included in 2-XA to fulfill the broader ecosystem goals of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), and then supplemented with marine conservation areas and marine parks that allow for fishing activities on species and stocks that do not benefit from MPAs.

• Proposal 2-XA

• Marine Resources Protection Plan proposal press release