City of Point Arena, Southern Mendocino County; in the North Coast MLPA Process

Point Arena was initially severed from Mendocino County in the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative North Central Coast process.

Soon after Point Arena was fully processed, it sent a wake up call to the rest of the north coast of California and the counties of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte.

The folks on the Albion River at the Albion Harbor Regional Alliance which shares the open coastal waters closest to Point Arena for recreational and commercial fishing and subsistence ocean food gathering have worked closely with residents and the City of Point Arena to include them in the North Coast process.

The original signed version (copy) can be found here:
http://www.albionharbor.org/oceana/pointarenaresolution.pdf

News of the official position of the City of Point Arena first reached the MLPAi process at the North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (NCRSG) meeting in Crescent City during presentation of the North Coast External Arrays to the RSG members which signals the beginning of Round 2; Development of MPA arrays to be submitted to the Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) in November 2010.


This is the text from the the City of Point Arena Resolution 2010-03:

RESOLUTION NO. 2010-03
Resolution of Position Regarding the Establishment of New MPAs‭
On the Coast of Mendocino County March‭ ‬22,‭ ‬2010


Whereas,‭ ‬the City of Point Arena recognizes the need for responsible Marine Resource Management; and

Whereas,‭ ‬the City of Point Arena recognizes the government agencies of the State of California have already been successfully managing the marine resources adjacent to Mendocino County,‭ ‬at sustainable levels,‭ ‬without the use of additional MPAs‭; ‬and

Whereas,‭ ‬the Science Advisory Team’s Science Guidelines for size and spacing of MPAs and the MLPA Masterplan goals and objectives,‭ ‬recommend that MPAs should be placed between‭ ‬31‭ ‬and‭ ‬62‭ ‬miles apart,‭ ‬as documented in the January‭ ‬13,‭ ‬2010‭ ‬updated summary to the BRTF from the MLPA Staff on page‭ ‬7‭ ‬of the‭ “‬Appendix B‭”; ‬and

Whereas,‭ ‬the‭ “‬Tri-County Group‭” ‬has adopted a policy of including a‭ “‬Small Craft Safety Buffer Zone‭” ‬with no MPAs within a ten mile radius around ports,‭ ‬and experienced local experts agree that this safety zone is necessary due to the nature of North Coast weather and sea conditions‭; ‬and‭

Whereas,‭ ‬the MPAs already approved during the North Central Coast MLPA process include an area of over‭ ‬20‭ ‬square miles‭ ‬within‭ ‬a ten mile radius of Arena Cove‭; ‬and

Whereas,‭ ‬the MLPAI,‭ ‬in the Ecotrust report of May‭ ‬13,‭ ‬2008,‭ ‬has already projected a loss to the Commercial Fishermen alone from Arena Cove of‭ ‬16.5%‭ ‬of their income‭; ‬and‭

Whereas,‭ ‬the City’s main income for maintaining and operating the Arena Cove Harbor facilities comes from fishing activities‭; ‬and‭

Whereas,‭ ‬due to the existing MPAs as of‭ ‬April‭ ‬1,‭ ‬2010,‭ ‬the fishermen from Arena Cove already will be subjected to longer trips,‭ ‬greater hazards and greater expenses in order to expand their range‭; ‬and‭

Whereas,‭ ‬the ports of Mendocino County have historically shared marine resources,‭ ‬infrastructure,‭ ‬search and rescue,‭ ‬enforcement,‭ ‬and navigational aides and they expect to continue this practice‭;

Now,‭ ‬therefore,‭ ‬the City of Point Arena resolves that it is in the best interests of the City,‭ ‬the Port of Arena Cove,‭ ‬local citizens,‭ ‬local fishermen and sea food gatherers,‭ ‬and all mariners in general:‭ ‬that no new MPAs should be added to the coast,‭ ‬estuaries or bays within a distance of‭ ‬31‭ ‬miles northward from the Point Arena SMR,‭ ‬and not closer than ten miles to any of the historic neighboring Ports of Albion River and Noyo River.‭

Further be it resolved that in the North Coast MLPA Study Region,‭ ‬all socioeconomic data will include references to Point Arena and the Port of Arena Cove and that all maps of Proposed MPA Arrays will include the Four Existing MPAS near Arena Cove.‭

The only exceptions to this resolution are the following:

1.‭ ‬We recognize the necessity for the currently proposed Navarro River Estuary SMR.‭ ‬Although the spacing of Estuarine MPAs is less critical,‭ ‬the Navarro River Estuary is the closest estuary to the Russian River SMR to our south‭ (‬at a distance of about‭ ‬65‭ ‬miles‭) ‬that meets the MLPAI Guidelines.

2.‭ ‬We recommend the continued existence of the Point Cabrillo MPA(s‭) ‬with only minor adjustments to the size and shape‭ (‬not to exceed‭ ‬10%‭) ‬and changes to the existing regulations for the sole scientific purpose of setting up controlled experiments to study the interactions of Red Sea Urchins,‭ ‬Red Abalone,‭ ‬and Kelp and the sustainable harvest of these species by humans.‭


Of the recently released eight‭ “‬Round‭ ‬1‭ – ‬North Coast External Proposed Arrays‭” ‬the following four arrays meet the above standards:‭ ‬Array B from the Mendocino County Community Alliance‭ (‬MOCA‭)‬,‭ ‬Array F from the Albion Harbor Regional Alliance‭ (‬AHRA‭)‬,‭ ‬Array G from North Coast Local interest MPA Work Group‭ (‬formerly The Tri-County Group‭)‬,‭ ‬and Array H from the California Fisheries Coalition‭ (‬CFC‭)‬.

PASSED AND ADOPTED this‭ ‬23rd day of March,‭ ‬2010‭ ‬by the following roll call vote:

Present were:

Lauren Sinnot, Mayor of the City and Council Members Ingham and Griboli

Mr. Ingham drove all the way to Crescent City from Point Arena on March 24th, 2010 to make a statement to MLPAi Staff and the RSG members during public comment.

Listen to his statement.


Visit Mendocino, visit Mendocino County, visit Point Arena, visit Albion, visit the Mendocino Coast and enjoy Locally Wild Caught Sustainable Seafood. Ask about the Local Ocean Food Providers that supply the restaurants and stores.

Point Arena, Albion, and the Noyo are all "working" harbors with active commercial docks and weighmasters.