April 24, 2009

South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (SCRSG) MLPA Initiative c/o California Natural Resources Agency 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311 Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear SCRSG Member:

Alternative Proposal for MPAs on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

This letter serves as an addendum to our comment letter to the SCRSG submitted on April 23, 2009 and entitled “Analysis and Proposal of MPAs on the Palos Verdes Peninsula”. It provides an alternative MPA proposal for the Palos Verdes Peninsula that serves as a compromise stakeholders may wish adopt in their own proposals. The proposed adjacent MPAs are approximately 29 square miles in total and include a nearly 20 square mile State Marine Reserve and a 9 square mile State Marine Conservation Area. The Sanitation Districts request that the Regional Stakeholder Group (RSG) review our analysis and consider using the proposed MPAs as the starting point of their Round 2 array proposal development process for Palos Verdes.

Best regards,

Shelly Walther

Environmental Scientist Technical Services Department Ocean Monitoring and Research Group (562) 908-4288, Ext. 2842 FAX (562) 908-4293 swalther@lacsd.org

Figure 1. Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County Proposed MPAs: Alternative layout

In an effort to balance the varied uses on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, we propose this alternative alignment by placing two MPAs in Palos Verdes, the Palos Verdes SMR and North Palos Verdes SMCA (Figure 1). The following analysis of the proposed MPAs indicate that they provide protection of many unique, good quality habitats such as rocky intertidal, sandy and gravel beaches, surf grass beds, kelp forest, underwater pinnacles, submarine canyon, bird and marine mammal foraging areas, hard and soft substrate, upwelling and retention zones. They serve to connect with other MPAs to fit spacing guidelines (connectivity), provide preferred MPA size (approximately 29 square miles in total including a nearly 20 square mile State Marine Reserve and a 9 square mile State Marine Conservation Area), and serve as an alternative to MPAs proposed on the less suitable South face of PV. This proposal is also mindful of socioeconomic issues by keeping areas open for recreational and commercial take. The Ecotrust fishery impact report generated via MarineMap indicates minimal impacts in most cases.

Palos Verdes SMR SW 2 Part of the WQConcerns B Draft MPA Array

Regulations

This MPA has been assigned a level of protection of very high, based on the allowed uses and designation.

Goals

MPA Rationale

Avoids EPA Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund site and White Point Outfall (areas of WQ concern) while mindful of other stakeholders' uses. Serves as an alternative to MPAs proposed on the South face of Palos Verdes. Provides protection of unique habitat (hard substrate), serves to connect with other MPAs to fit spacing guidelines (connectivity).

Goals and Regional Objectives

Goal 4 To protect marine natural heritage, including protection of representative and unique marine life habitats in south coast California waters, for their intrinsic value.

Objective 1 Include within MPAs key and unique habitats identified by the MLPA Master Plan Science Advisory Team for this study region.

Goal 5 To ensure that south coast California’s MPAs have clearly defined objectives, effective management measures, and adequate enforcement, and are based on sound scientific guidelines.

Objective 1 Minimize negative socio-economic impacts and optimize positive socio-economic impacts for all users including coastal dependent entities, communities and interests, to the extent possible, and if consistent with the Marine Life Protection Act and its goals and guidelines.

Goal 6 To ensure that the south coast’s MPAs are designed and managed, to the extent possible, as a component of a statewide network.

Created by: ShellyWalther

Created 24 Apr, 2009 12:37 p.m.

Modified: 24 Apr, 2009 12:42 p.m. Future home of a Map

SMR, State Marine Reserve http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/defs.asp#smr

Allowed Uses

Target Method Use Type

No allowed uses have been specified

download kml

Objective 3 Ensure ecological connectivity within and between regional components of the statewide network.

Design Considerations

Avoids areas of high sedimentation not suitable for MPAs. Serves as an alternative to MPAs proposed on the South face of Palos Verdes.

Reports

Palos Verdes SMR SW2 Habitat data

Fishery Impact Analysis ReportReport Summary WQConcerns B MPA Proposal

percent area percent value

A. Percentage area of total fishing grounds affected by proposed MPA

B. Percentage area of fishing grounds within study area affected by proposed MPA

C. Percentage area of total fishing grounds within the study area (Not an impact)

A. Percentage value of total fishing grounds affected by proposed MPA

B. Percentage value of fishing grounds within study area affected by proposed MPA

C. Percentage value of total fishing grounds within the study area (Not an impact)

User Group: CommercialPort: San PedroMPA: Palos Verdes SMR SW 2MPA ID: 6265

Coastal Pelagics - seine 0.35 % 0.50 % 69.78 % 0.45 % 0.60 % 74.35 %Live Bait 1.26 % 1.87 % 67.72 % 0.55 % 0.66 % 82.49 %Lobster - trap 1.24 % 1.80 % 68.97 % 2.95 % 4.02 % 73.47 %Nearshore Fishery - trap 1.79 % 1.80 % 99.65 % 2.96 % 2.98 % 99.46 %Nearshore Fishery - hook and line 0.00 % 0.00 % 99.76 % 0.00 % 0.00 % 99.77 %Rock Crab - trap 0.93 % 1.88 % 49.47 % 0.04 % 0.36 % 10.91 %Sea Cucumber - dive 0.85 % 0.86 % 99.53 % 1.24 % 1.24 % 99.51 %Spot Prawn - trap 0.17 % 0.29 % 57.17 % 0.04 % 0.08 % 57.37 %Squid - seine 0.47 % 0.56 % 82.70 % 0.52 % 0.63 % 83.24 %Urchin - dive 0.43 % 0.46 % 94.06 % 1.07 % 1.09 % 98.86 %

User Group: Commercial Private Fishing VesselPort: San Pedro/Long BeachMPA: Palos Verdes SMR SW 2MPA ID: 7013

Barracuda 1.72 % 2.36 % 72.73 % 0.63 % 0.85 % 74.29 %Calico Bass 1.12 % 1.46 % 77.30 % 0.71 % 0.87 % 81.24 %California Halibut 1.12 % 1.59 % 70.22 % 0.62 % 0.76 % 81.65 %California Scorpionfish (Sculpin) 0.91 % 1.88 % 48.63 % 1.05 % 1.84 % 57.22 %California Sheephead 0.72 % 0.89 % 80.83 % 0.64 % 0.86 % 74.98 %Lingcod 0.62 % 1.04 % 60.00 % 1.06 % 1.88 % 56.40 %Rockfish 0.53 % 1.19 % 44.64 % 0.92 % 2.74 % 33.49 %Sand Bass 1.08 % 1.58 % 68.58 % 0.29 % 0.39 % 74.56 %White Seabass 1.85 % 2.84 % 65.17 % 2.18 % 2.81 % 77.38 %Whitefish 0.64 % 0.78 % 83.01 % 0.41 % 0.62 % 65.21 %

percent area percent value

A. Percentage area of total fishing grounds affected by proposed MPA

B. Percentage area of fishing grounds within study area affected by proposed MPA

C. Percentage area of total fishing grounds within the study area (Not an impact)

A. Percentage value of total fishing grounds affected by proposed MPA

B. Percentage value of fishing grounds within study area affected by proposed MPA

C. Percentage value of total fishing grounds within the study area (Not an impact)

User Group: Recreational Private VesselCounty: Los AngelesMPA: Palos Verdes SMR SW 2MPA ID: 7013

Barracuda 3.14 % 6.85 % 45.83 % 3.16 % 6.27 % 50.41 %Bonita 2.62 % 5.21 % 50.23 % 4.17 % 8.69 % 48.01 %Calico Bass 0.79 % 0.93 % 84.52 % 2.71 % 3.26 % 83.13 %California Halibut 0.81 % 0.98 % 83.14 % 0.95 % 1.05 % 90.45 %California Sheephead 0.58 % 0.73 % 79.85 % 0.81 % 1.07 % 75.51 %Lobster 1.25 % 1.26 % 99.38 % 3.20 % 3.22 % 99.43 %Mackerel 1.07 % 1.34 % 79.80 % 0.86 % 1.06 % 81.24 %Rockfish/Lingcod 0.93 % 1.38 % 67.55 % 0.87 % 2.11 % 41.11 %Sand Bass 0.91 % 1.13 % 81.06 % 0.11 % 0.14 % 75.05 %Thresher Shark 3.66 % 9.70 % 37.74 % 1.91 % 3.74 % 50.93 %White Seabass 1.20 % 1.53 % 78.52 % 3.68 % 3.87 % 94.99 %Yellowtail 0.67 % 1.65 % 40.26 % 0.43 % 0.67 % 63.89 %

User Group: Recreational DiveCounty: Los AngelesMPA: Palos Verdes SMR SW 2MPA ID: 7013

Calico Bass 1.30 % 1.31 % 99.46 % 5.21 % 5.24 % 99.35 %California Halibut 3.48 % 3.52 % 98.82 % 8.76 % 8.84 % 98.99 %California Sheephead 5.59 % 5.66 % 98.75 % 12.44 % 12.58 % 98.88 %Lobster 1.47 % 1.48 % 98.82 % 6.85 % 6.94 % 98.71 %Sand Bass 10.14 % 10.23 % 99.13 % 18.06 % 18.24 % 99.03 %Scallops 9.94 % 10.06 % 98.81 % 10.67 % 10.78 % 99.00 %White Seabass 1.75 % 1.76 % 99.46 % 7.76 % 7.83 % 99.12 %Yellowtail 3.95 % 3.98 % 99.40 % 4.73 % 4.77 % 99.20 %

User Group: Recreational KayakCounty: Los AngelesMPA: Palos Verdes SMR SW 2MPA ID: 7013

Barracuda 3.96 % 4.12 % 96.07 % 7.71 % 7.94 % 97.18 %Bonita 10.55 % 10.57 % 99.83 % 12.03 % 12.05 % 99.81 %Calico Bass 1.23 % 1.24 % 99.42 % 4.21 % 4.23 % 99.44 %California Halibut 0.92 % 0.96 % 95.30 % 2.60 % 2.66 % 97.94 %Lobster 2.18 % 2.20 % 98.99 % 14.59 % 14.80 % 98.60 %Rockfish/Lingcod 3.97 % 4.14 % 95.80 % 8.16 % 8.39 % 97.28 %Sand Bass 2.15 % 2.16 % 99.25 % 2.85 % 2.87 % 99.21 %Thresher Shark 2.48 % 2.79 % 88.93 % 4.39 % 4.66 % 94.10 %White Seabass 1.29 % 1.30 % 98.54 % 6.86 % 6.91 % 99.21 %Yellowtail 2.33 % 2.34 % 99.32 % 3.55 % 3.59 % 98.94 %

North Palos Verdes SMCA SW 1 Part of the WQConcerns B Draft MPA Array

Regulations

This MPA has been assigned a level of protection of moderate low, based on the allowed uses and designation.

Goals

MPA Rationale

The North Palos Verdes SMCA serves serves as an extension of the Palos Verdes SMR while allowing additional consumptive recreational uses.

Goals and Regional Objectives

Goal 1 To protect the natural diversity and abundance of marine life, and the structure, function, and integrity of marine ecosystems.

Objective 5 Promote recovery of natural communities from disturbances, both natural and human induced, including water quality.

Goal 2 To help sustain, conserve, and protect marine life populations, including those of economic value, and rebuild those that are depleted.

Objective 4 Protect selected species and the habitats on which they depend while allowing: some commercial and/or recreational harvest of migratory, highly mobile, or other species; and other activities.

Goal 3 To improve recreational, educational, and study opportunities provided by marine ecosystems that are subject to minimal human disturbances, and to manage these uses in a manner consistent with protecting biodiversity.

Created by: ShellyWalther

Created 24 Apr, 2009 12:50 p.m.

Modified: 24 Apr, 2009 1:08 p.m. Future home of a Map

SMCA, State Marine Conservation Area http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/defs.asp#smca

Allowed Uses

Target Method Use Type

Kelp Bass Spear recreational

Lobster Diving recreational

Pelagic Finfish Spear recreational

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Objective 1 Sustain or enhance cultural, recreational, and educational experiences and uses (for example, by improving catch rates, maintaining high scenic value, lowering congestion, increasing size or abundance of species, and protection of submerged sites).

Design Considerations

No additional design considerations specified

Reports

North Palos Verdes SMCA Habitat data