If you had the opportunity to watch the absolutely “invigorating” meeting of the Fish and Game Commission on June 23 and June 24, you know that it was anything but. The only agenda item dedicated to the Marine Life Protection Act was the timeline for the approval of the south coast Marne Life Protection Act. This update modified the timeline for implementation by one month. As a result, we are not expecting the final adoption until at least November.

The delay is in large part due to the development of the California Environmental Quality Act’s (CEQA) Environmental Impact Report(EIR). CEQA, passed in 1970, requires an environmental impact study on any public or private development project in California. These reports are intended to fully inform both lawmakers and the public on the total environmental impacts of a given project. In this case, it will be the potential negative environmental impact of environmental protections. The irony.

Due to the size and population of Southern California, previous baselines and assumptions used for the central coast EIR could not be used for developing the EIR for Southern California; therefore, it will take longer than previously anticipated to develop.

This is just a minor change. One of the most important Fish and Game Commission meetings will still be the August 4 and 5 meeting in Santa Barabara, Calif. This meeting will be the last opportunity for the public to advocate our support for the strongest science-based option “proposal #3” directly to the Fish and Game Commissioners. We need as many supporters to attend as possible. If you are interested or can attend please contact me at [email protected].