KeepAmericaFishing

Background

In early 2008, Oregon Governor Kulongoski sought to establish a network of ‘fewer than ten’ marine reserves, also known as no-take zones, in state waters. The governor instructed the OPAC to provide him with recommended locations for marine reserves.

The OPAC issued a call for proposals from members of the public. In the fall 2008, OPAC received a variety of proposals from the public, including the recreational fishing and environmental communities. Members of the environmental community proposed a series of marine reserves and marine conservation areas, which provide for some form of limited fishing access, that would place 30 percent of Oregon's waters in either a reserve or conservation area.

In June 2009, the Oregon legislature passed a bill, signed by the governor, that establishes two pilot marine reserves and four additional sites for further study. The act also requires the development of a work plan that outlines clear goals and objectives for the two marine reserves and a process for the further consideration and development of the additional sites through community action teams. Most importantly, the law says that if the state does not have adequate resources to scientifically monitor the marine reserves, then the fishing restrictions would be lifted.

Community action teams, comprised of various stakeholder representatives, are currently evaluating proposed marine reserve sites. In December 2010, OPAC accepted and approved the recommendations of three community groups for MPAs in the state's waters. The areas include small marine reserves and some adjacent marine protected areas. The reserves, in which no extraction of resources is permitted, constitute about 3.5% of the state’s marine waters and the MPAs – which permit recreational fishing – represent about 2% of the state’s marine waters. There are extensive requirements for base line monitoring for both biological and socio-economic impacts before the areas are put in place. Provided there is funding, the final establishment of the areas will be done through the legislative process in 2011. For more information, please visit www.oregonocean.info/marinereserves.

KeepAmericaFishing's™ Position

The sportfishing community's position is that recreational fishing should not be restricted without clear scientific evidence that it is causing damage to habitat or fish populations. Access to the resource is a critical element in having successful recreational fishing. Recreational anglers and boaters have always been in the forefront of fisheries conservation in the United States financing countless conservation and restoration projects through license fees, motorboat fuel taxes and the federal excise tax on fishing tackle. Thus, recreational fishing should be fully protected, and further promoted, in any marine reserve proposal.

At $71.7 million, Oregon earns a significant amount of state and local tax revenues from sportfishing. The goal of Oregon's sportfishing advocates and anglers is to protect the marine environment while minimizing unwarranted closures Oregon's coastal waters to recreational fishing. The purpose of pursuing this goal is to:

• Maintain and improve the conservation of Oregon's marine fisheries and associated marine resources so as to improve the overall health of the ocean;
• Assure that the process for future closures or designations in Oregon relies on biological and economic information in a balanced fashion; and
• Increase sportfishing opportunities in Oregon from their current economic and participation levels.