Remarks of Kathy Fosmark
Monterey City Council Meeting
January 2, 2007 

Mayor Della Sala and Councilmembers, my name is Kathy Fosmark.  I’m the Co-Chair of the Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries.  We’re a 501C3 organization representing fishing families throughout the Central Coast.  We have been very involved in the Sanctuary’s Management Plan Update.

There are many good things in the Sanctuary’s Management Plan, particularly regarding water quality which is so important to us, and in research.  We hope that in the future we may be more involved with the Sanctuary Program in collaborative research projects. 

I would like to support your City Staff’s recommendations for the Sanctuary Plan.  First, regarding the comment about the Sanctuary Advisory Council found in the cover letter, this comment is needed, and I’m living proof of that.  I applied to be the alternate commercial fishing representative on the SAC, but heard that I was not actually a fishing person, and I was not selected.  This is pretty amazing since, shortly thereafter, I was nominated by Governor Schwarzenegger to represent California on the Pacific Fishery Management Council that governs fishing in federal waters for the entire West Coast.  I was appointed by the U.S. Commerce Secretary, and I currently sit on the Pacific Council.  The Sanctuary would be well served by making sure that SAC representatives actually represent the constituencies that they’re supposed to.

CONTINUED