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Exempted Fishing Permit Approved - Hope for CA Fishing Communities

Last fall, a partnership of fishermen, community leaders, conservation organizations and government entities submitted an exempted fishing permit (EFP) proposal to the Pacific Fishery Management Council to help improve the environmental and economic performance of the Central Coast groundfish fishery through a community-based approach. Final approvals and permits were recently issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, and fishing efforts began today. The Council voted in favor of the proposal at its November 2007 meeting.

The EFP will allow the partnership to establish a local, community-based fishing association that will test the benefits of fishing six federal groundfish trawl permits with traps and hook & line. This project will explore how a community based fishing association can coordinate local fishing efforts, protect local access to fish and create a more economically and environmentally sustainable fishery. This research and the knowledge generated will help inform management decisions now underway and could be used in other West Coast fisheries and the groundfish industry as a whole.

Exempted Fishing Permit Partners
California Department of Fish and Game
City of Morro Bay
Port San Luis Harbor District
Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen's Organization
Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen's Association
Port San Luis Harbor District
Environmental Defense Fund
The Nature Conservancy

The following statements may be attributed to the association:

"By working together, we can create more environmentally sustainable and economically viable ways for small fishing communities to catch groundfish," said Morro Bay Harbor Director Rick Algert. "This will help to secure what remains of California's fishing heritage and working harbors, promote a variety of improved fishing methods and ensure supplies of sustainably harvested seafood for consumers."

"Central Coast fishing communities are important stewards of our marine resources," said Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen's Organization President Jeremiah O'Brien. "This EFP gives us the opportunity to work with conservation and government agencies on resource management decisions that affect the marine environments off our own shores."

"This EFP allows the local fishing community and conservation groups to work together to design innovative ways to harvest groundfish that will help preserve the unique fishing heritage and rich marine resources of the California Central Coast," said Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen's Association President Bill Ward. "Coastal economies rely on vibrant local fishing business to help support tourism, marine dependent businesses and the traditional ports infrastructure and facilities necessary for coastal commerce and navigation."

"The State of California has made it a priority to encourage projects that protect our fishing heritage and community viability while preserving valuable marine resources," said California Department of Fish and Game Regional Manager for Marine Marija Vojkovich.

"This project will test a concept that has worked in other countries but is new to the U.S. - can a community manage its own fishery," said Environmental Defense Scientist Rod Fujita. "It will provide the Pacific Fishery Management Council with the real on-the-water experience they will need to develop new ways to fix the long-suffering west coast groundfish fishery."

"The EFP aligns conservation with economics," said The Nature Conservancy Central Coast Marine Project Director Michael Bell. "It will help develop ways to ensure local seafood is available to consumers and explore new solutions for a sustainable future for the Central Coast that could be applied to other fisheries."

Kathleen Goldstein
202-841-0295
11135 Schuylkill Road
Rockville, MD 20852