Public Comments on Sanctuary Plans

By Ryder W. Miller

On Jan. 15, ocean aficionados, marine conservationists, concerned citizens and regulatory agents gathered in the Marina District to talk about plans for local national marine sanctuaries.

The only San Francisco meeting, it was also one of the last of 18 meetings that reviewed the Joint Management Plans for the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine sanctuaries.

Strong conservation concerns were evident from the participants at the January scoping meeting, which provided an opportunity for public input.

"We are pleased to see that they are taking public comment into account," said Kate Wing, an Ocean Policy Analyst for The Natural Resources Defense Council. "The Sanctuary program has never lived up to the goals of the Sanctuary Act. People are angry when they find out the sanctuaries provide no sanctuary."

It is legal to fish in local marine sanctuaries which are also recovering from pollution and a depletion of resources.

The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) is required by law to periodically review sanctuary management plans to ensure that sanctuary sites continue to best conserve, protect, and enhance their nationally significant living and cultural resources. Periodic management plan review is required by Congress for all of national marine sanctuaries.

"It is a nice, informal way to get their opinions across," said Mary Jane Schramm, program support assistant for the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary. "We need to know how our successes and shortcomings are viewed."

Speaking before the meeting, Ed Ueber, who manages all three of the nearby sanctuaries, said "We are hoping the public will bring things out that we haven't noticed. It's an opportunity to bring the sanctuary more into the lives of people in the area."

There is a history of interest and involvement in the Bay Area and San Francisco has 400 years of maritime history.

"San Francisco is very interested in helping the ocean," Ueber said. "People are very knowledgeable about the ocean and all the things it has."

During the meeting attendees gathered into small groups to voice their concerns. Ueber later summarized the concerns for the participants.

The list included concerns over radiation contamination; disturbances to the Great White Shark; the harmful effects of agricultural and urban runoff; interest in the research of food chain dynamics; issues relating to boundary jurisdiction; oil pollution problems; traffic monitoring; shipping problems; stopping the use of fiber optic cables; marine protection; sewage pollution problems; stopping military research; enhancing recreational opportunities; monitoring intertidal areas; evaluation of the value of personal water craft; the desire for more underwater exploration; and the stopping of abalone poaching.

"It has been very gratifying to see the concern that people of the Bay Area have. Everybody wants stronger regulation," Ueber said.

The Gulf of the Farallones and the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary was created about 20 years ago. The Cordell Bank was designated as a sanctuary about 10 years ago.

Public input will be included in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which will come out in a year or so. The National Marine Sanctuary Program will accept input and feedback in writing or via the Internet. Contact Anne Walton, the management plan coordinator at Fort Mason, Building 201, SF, CA 94123 or phone 561-6622 or e-mail Anne.Walton@noaa.gov.