Next Right Move; reestablish the central coast recreational abalone fishery

Now that MLPA has and is going to constrict the recreational hunting grounds for recreational abalone endeavors assuming our impact (effort) is more than likely to hover around the 35k mark or greater for the foreseeable future and if the recruitment and growth rates of abalone "may" not be keeping pace with our effort (take).  I'll take the safe bet; reestablish the former recreational abalone fishery along the central coast.  Now one can take another argument path and proclaim the MLPA and it's array of MPA's are to blame and they should be eliminated and everything would be fine.............good luck with that.  Now do not get me wrong would I rather see the MPA's eliminated, yes.  Yet again I have to live in actual time and not future time and plan accordingly so in the now.

The ARMP is the abalone fishery plan we operate under, like it or not and there is a lot of not's as many of you know.  An understanding is in order which should be realized by all recreational abalone divers.

The ARMP was a result of several "things" if you will that transpired.  I am not going to explain this part well but one way the "State" keeps the "Feds" off of their backs so to speak is to have fishery plans, thus ARMP and it's policy clause and regulations. So that's thing one of things that have transpired.  Next, a bunch of do-goobers (well intended) jump on board with a State assemblyman, the DFG and the second "thing" to occur took place.  Third, concurrently before and during the late nineties abalone populations, mainly south of Point Conception were dieing off from a wide spread bacterial infection, the withering foot syndrome, which frankly scared the DFG into a super precautionary mode.  As a result we saw both the recreational and commercial abalone fishery placed in a moratorium (a form of closure) which resulted in the fourth "thing" taking place.  And how did that happen, in a single stroke of the pen a.k.a. SB 463 (1997) became signed into law with very, very, little data to suggest otherwise and just so that the populations of abalone north of Point Conception to the center line of the Golden Gate bridge were somehow under stress from the bacterial infection and or were somehow at low enough densities levels to warrant the moratorium closure.  2/3rd's of the States abalone resources became closed to the public to the Mexican border.  Below Point Conception, that's another story not of intent for now but worthy of addressing at another time.

Now if you are a study of the ARMP you know according to the policy and clauses provided within the ARMP any member of the public or the Department of F&G could after ten years from the moratorium closure date(1997) petition the F&G Commission to reestablish abalone take in all of the areas placed in moratorium status or sections of the areas in the moratorium pursuit to the provisions that meet the recovery criteria as defined in the ARMP, "or" note the "or" here, under the long term plan.   

Normally a few years ago and today and because of my experience with the AAG process I would of argued the recovery criteria singular simply because the DFG never established, statistically established, that the populations of abalone along the central coast were at risk from low density levels or where experiencing the withering foot syndrome to any degree of concern.  Perhaps fortuitously today we need not belay the point because the recreational abalone fishery is shifting into the long term phase of it's plan.

A quality experience.  In my pursuits and endeavors being a seated person for a F&G Commission process and just plain talking with DFG abalone biologist, commissioners and other DFG biologist from time to time often I keep hearing a reoccurring theme: we want to provide a quality experience.  You know what, it is genuine. "They" really mean and want that.  The issue is, what is a quality experience and who defines it.  Lets hope it is not up to the "State" to define a quality experience for if it is, welcome to a communist State.  I wish to not mislead you, abalone diving along the central coast is nothing compared to north of the gate and it never will be for many reasons.  But a quality experience for abalone diving can be found here if one knows how to make it so should we once again get the opportunity to do so.  Pop an ab or two, shoot a few fish, pop a few beers in the area campgrounds provided, which are nice, and all the makings for a quality experienced can be realized.

Demographically speaking a HUGE percentage of our constituency are ideally located to utilize and enjoy a quality combination experience of abalone diving and spearfishing along the central coast. Would I reduce my impact to the abalone resources by a trip or two each season if I had an opportunity on the central coast to do so, YES!

I ask you to support this option; reestablish the central coast recreational abalone fishery now.  First step is to ask and heed my words, now is the time.