Aliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
P O Box 1309, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 (831) 659-2838

We further respectively submit that the topic of MPAs and marine reserves is highly complex, involving a multitude of scientific disciplines and legal issues, and therefore is really beyond the expertise of a great majority of SAC members to make an informed recommendation. This is not a topic that can be decided on by presenting a series of “sound bytes” on either side for pros and cons of this issue. We do hope the decision making will occur from highly informed stakeholders, and that the Sanctuary Program will not settle for less.

To conclude, we believe that the problem faced by MPA/Marine Reserve advocates may well be that the very quality of resources present that enabled this area to become a National Marine Sanctuary still exists, if not even to a greater degree. This presents a quandary for MPA advocates, as sufficient problems, or even threats, do not exist to justify closing areas off to fishing. There is also a growing body of science that suggests that much of the rhetoric and energy related to MPA promotion and use is not only missing the point, but also is being misdirected toward potentially dangerous outcomes for conservation and in-the-water practitioners. We refer you to the pending publication in “Aquatic Conservation” of an article titled “Dangerous targets? Unresolved issues and ideological clashes around Marine Protected Areas”, by T. Agardy, et al. Two of the authors are stated to be on the Federal MPA Advisory Committee. The report is also published online at www.interscience.wiley.com

We request that a copy of this letter, and a copy of our February 27, 2003 letter to you, be forwarded with whatever recommendations come out of the Sanctuary MPA Work Group, for all those who may be in a future decision making role for this issue.

Sincerely,

Tom Canale, Mike Ricketts, David Crabbe

Howard Egan, Peter Grenell, Steve Scheiblaur

Don Dodson

C: The Honorable Sam Farr, US Representative, 17th District
Dan Basta, Director, National Marine Sanctuary Program
Bill Douros, Superintendent, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Stephanie Harlan, Chair, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary SAC
Conrad Lautenbacher, Undersecretary for Oceans & Atmosphere, Dept of Commerce
Jamison Hawkins, Dept Asst. Administrator Ocean Serv & Coastal Management, NOAA
Donald McIsaac, Ex. Director, Pacific Fishery Management Council
Robert C. Hight, Director, CA Dept. of Fish and Game
William Hogarth, Asst. Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service