Attention all swimmers, divers and fishermen. New rules and boundaries for marine protected areas such as the Tijuana River mouth went into effect Sunday, and the California Department of Fish and Game confirmed that wardens will be out in full force to enforce on New Year’s Day.
“While we are not having an enforcement grace period, a lot of the wardens will take whatever enforcement action they deem appropriate and sometimes that might just be education,” said Jordan Traverso, with the Department of Fish and Game.
Wardens, however, can issue warnings, citations and make arrests for noncompliance with these new regulations now that 2012 has arrived.
The new regulations were adopted under the California Marine Life Protection Act and affect a network of 50 marine protected areas on California’s South Coast from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County to the Tijuana River mouth at the U.S. and Mexico border. There are 11 marine protected or marine conservation areas in San Diego County.
Many fishermen and local fishing organizations expressed concerns over the new regulations. Talks of a protest on Jan. 1 were abuzz last week.
, a local fisherman, said while the MPA changes do not impact his fishing activities, he does expect heaving fishing pressures in the areas that he does frequent.
“Sport fisherman who fish the areas of South La Jolla, however are impacted in a very big way, as they have lost an entire fishing ground,” Dumlao said by email. “Those sport fishermen displaced by the closure of South La Jolla will now merge with other sport fishermen in a concentrated open area adding more pressure to the already heavily fishing grounds of La Jolla.”
San Diego County Marine Protected Areas Regulations Effective Jan. 1
Area Restrictions For Recreational Take Batiquitos Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area Take of all living marine resources is prohibited. Boating, swimming, wading, and diving are prohibited within the conservation area. Swami's State Marine Conservation Area Recreational take by hook-and-line from shore is allowed. The recreational take of pelagic finfish, including Pacific bonito, and white seabass by spearfishing is allowed. San Dieguito Lagoon State Marine Conservation AreaTake of all living marine resources is prohibited except the recreational take of finfish by hook-and-line from shore and the Grand Avenue bridge. Boating, swimming, wading, and diving are prohibited within the conservation area.
San Elijo Lagoon State Marine Conservation AreaTake of all living marine resources is prohibited. Boating, swimming, wading, and diving are prohibited within the conservation area.
San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation AreaTake of all living marine resources is prohibited except the recreational take of coastal pelagic species, except market squid, by hook-and-line only.
Matlahuayl State Marine ReserveTake of all living marine resources is prohibited. Boats may be launched and retrieved only in designated areas and may be anchored within the reserve only during daylight hours.
South La Jolla State Marine ReserveTake of all living marine resources is prohibited.
South La Jolla State Marine Conservation AreaTake of all living marine resources is prohibited except the recreational take of pelagic finfish, including Pacific bonito, by hook-and-line only is allowed.
Famosa Slough State Marine Conservation AreaTake of all living marine resources is prohibited
Cabrillo State Marine ReserveTake of all living marine resources is prohibited.
Tijuana River Mouth State Marine Conservation Area Take of all living marine resources is prohibited except for the recreational take of coastal pelagic species, except market squid, by hand-held dip net only is allowed. And except market squid, by round haul net only is allowed.A full list of regulations and maps for all MPAs can be found here.
