April 16, 2024 –I recently read an impassioned Sentinel Guest Commentary (April 4) urging support for the creation of new marine protected areas (MPAs) that would ban all fishing in the waters off of Natural Bridges past Four Mile Beach out to three miles offshore and in the kelp beds between Pleasure Point and Capitola. While I strongly agree with the writer’s general sentiment that we need to protect the ocean from various threats, I feel compelled to highlight some specific inaccuracies in their scientific justification for these proposed MPAs.
As a marine scientist and ocean lover, I am not used to pushing back against efforts to protect the ocean. But, nothing is more frustrating than seeing good scientific research being misrepresented to bolster a preconceived agenda. So I got involved with a community group called Allwaters (allwaters.org) that is standing up for the responsible use of science and common-sense ocean conservation that maintains access for sustainable fishing. My experience in fisheries science has taught me that ocean conservation and responsible fishing practices can support each other.
Despite the previous writer’s claim, there is little scientific evidence to support the idea that MPAs will protect Central California kelp forests from marine heat waves. A study published last month in the Journal of Phycology looked at MPAs around the world and found that kelp suffered during warm water events whether it was in an MPA or not.