VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE ECOTRUST SOUTH COAST MLPA SURVEY

[lambadmin]

Paul, I'm not sure if you're going to win The Post Of The Month, but you got the front page.

Thanks for all your hard work!!!

[dsafety]

I am new to kayak fishing and frankly, don't yet know where most of the best locations are. I would hate to think that my rookie status makes my desire to retain access less important.

Since I am new to this thing, maybe someone can explain it to me. Kayak fishers are about as green as it gets. Sure I burn some gas in my SUV driving to the launch site but after that, I have a nearly zero carbon footprint.

When I paddle out, (in my case peddle out), I am just buring fat and helping to keep myself out of the emergency room with a heart attack or one of the many other illnesses associated with our overweight society.

When I get on the water, I use no fuel except for what was in my recent breakfast. I burn only calories and leave behind only sweat. I catch my own bait and only use only what I need. If I am fortunate enough to catch something other than bait, I usually release it after saying hello and taking a picture. How can this activity be bad for our environment.

Rather than making our coastal waters off limits to people like me and you, maybe we should do more to encourage catch and release practices for recreational fishers. If we need to limit the catch, put the breaks on commercial fishing in the endangered locations.

What do you think?

Bob

[Matt]

Just signed up Paul, let me know where I can help and what to do!!!

[PAL]

I am new to kayak fishing and frankly, don't yet know where most of the best locations are. I would hate to think that my rookie status makes my desire to retain access less important.

Not at all Bob - your desire is every bit as important. And there's nothing keeping you from signing up, although as you say you don't know the best locations, maybe this is a time to give your survey spot to someone else. While there is no limit to the number of volunteers, the number of kayak anglers Ecotrust will survey will add up to 50 or 100 or so. That's not many to go on.

Experience and the skill it develops play more of a role on the waters accessed by a particular kayak angler than they do for boaters or shore and pier anglers. Many inexperineced kayak anglers stick to the bays or water in close proximity to launch sites until they gain confidence. As a matter of policy, the KFACA is committed to preserve the full spectrum of kayak fishing opportunities. Open ocean access is threatened much more so than sheltered water, hence the importance of motivating the most experienced among us.

I welcome further discussion of this issue.

Rather than making our coastal waters off limits to people like me and you, maybe we should do more to encourage catch and release practices for recreational fishers. If we need to limit the catch, put the breaks on commercial fishing in the endangered locations.

Bob, I think most of us feel that way. I do. However, the MLPA is not part of traditional fisheries management. It is a habitat protection plan, altogether separate, and something we must deal with as best we can. To me, that means participating in the process. If we walk away, we'll have our worst nightmares shoved down our throats.

BTW, you can be sure we're arguing the same points you bring up about a lighter footprint. You obviously care deeply; I hope we'll see you at a future workshop or meeting, giving polite but impassioned testimony.

[Billy V]

It might be a good idea to start compiling a "List of Kayak Fishing Areas"
that are sacred to us, so we have continuity when answering this Survey.

It can be done in another thread if necessary. Sort of Pre-Running the Survey Process.

Maybe PAL could do something as simple as List all the Areas us Southern Yak Fisherman should be placing our Pennies on.

Its a way of putting up a United Front during this survey process.

[Handymansd]

Originally Posted by Billy V

It might be a good idea to start compiling a "List of Kayak Fishing Areas"
that are sacred to us, so we have continuity when answering this Survey.

It can be done in another thread if necessary. Sort of Pre-Running the Survey Process.

Maybe PAL could do something as simple as List all the Areas us Southern Yak Fisherman should be placing our Pennies on.

Its a way of putting up a United Front during this survey process.

Simple... yet effective...

[dorf]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I can't wait to offer my input.

I agree with Billy V.
If my survey can help other angler's hot spots and they can help out on mine why not start a list?

[PAL]

It might be a good idea to start compiling a "List of Kayak Fishing Areas"
that are sacred to us, so we have continuity when answering this Survey.

It can be done in another thread if necessary. Sort of Pre-Running the Survey Process.

Maybe PAL could do something as simple as List all the Areas us Southern Yak Fisherman should be placing our Pennies on.

Its a way of putting up a United Front during this survey process.

Ok, there's a bunch to touch on here.

First off, we can't game the survey without bringing all the data into question. What we can do - and this was a concesssion from Ecotrust, the survey designer - is encourage experienced kayak anglers to sign up.

BUT - I don't feel I'm going to far when I mention that the bays aren't facing the same closure threat as the ocean. Although there will be MPAs (closures) in the bays, as the guidance document is written now, they don't contribute much to a network's conservation score. The game here is pitching a network with high conservation value but limited impact on anglers.

Ah, but that's not all. We get to ground truth the survey. We also negotiated with Ecotrust to perform some surveys face to face or in small groups, rather than solely via the internet, where the data could potentially be monkey-wrenched or manipulated by pro-closure interests. We may even get to recruit focus groups for each area for those small group sessions.

When it comes to the crown jewels, we have our own data collection going at http://www.kfaca.org/launchsites.htm. The info - what you call a list of kayak fishing areas - will go to yet another MLPA data collection effort. Please check it out. It is very close to what you are asking for. The real precision - where exactly to draw a line - will come later in the game.

Both of these products - the Ecotrust survey and the GIS launch sites map - will be furnished to the Regional Stakeholders Group for use in the network planning process. Again, it is a list it or lose it situation.