Conservation or Overregulation? Fishing Ban Takes a Toll on an Industry

OC Weekly's Michelle Woo has a great cover piece in the current issue that explores how the newly revamped South Coast Marine Protected Areas law has been affecting fishermen who've plied their trade off the coasts of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach for decades.

The law, which went into effect January 1, essentially bans the taking of any marine life—including crab and lobster, the prime sources of income for many local sport fishermen—from the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, which extends from Abalone Point in Irvine Cove south to Goff Point off of Treasure Island, as well as the Laguna Beach “No-Take” State Marine Conservation Area, which extends the ban further south to Seacliff Drive at Table Rock Beach.

From Woo's story:

"It's a ghost town," says Rodger Healy, the president of the California Lobster and Trap Fishermen's Association, describing the Laguna Beach coastline where he's long fished for California spiny lobsters. Eleven Southern California sportfishing boats have gone under this year, according to Wendy Tochihara, national sales manager for fishing-tackle manufacturer Izorline International. Healy calls old-school fishermen a "dying breed."

He lost about 65 percent of his fishing grounds due to the closures, which amounts to about 65 percent of his income. "They basically took away the heart of our livelihood," he says. "What will happen? That's the million-dollar question. We don't know."

Click here to read the complete story, "OC Fishermen Are Out to Sea," and let us know what you think of the fishing ban and its effect on the local fishing industry in the comments below.