AGENDA

1. 2012 Report and current Updates
2. Membership dues ($50 annual fee)
3. Vote to renew David Gogel’s contract for website maintenance (Action Item)
4. CFSB joining PLF lawsuit – keeping the protections of fishermen from sea otters (Action Item)
5. Lobster FMP update
6. Seafood Traceability Bill in Congress
7. Community Fisheries Network update
8. Any additional agenda items?

Note: only current 2013 CFSB members can vote for any Action Items.  You must bring your dues ($50) to the CFSB meeting if you have not paid 2013 dues.

TO:                 California Ocean and Coastal Community
FROM:          John Laird, Secretary for Natural Resources
DATE:            May 8, 2013
SUBJECT:     March 2013 OPC Meeting Highlights

The Ocean Protection Council’s (OPC) March 27 meeting in Sacramento addressed topics including an updated Sea Level Rise Guidance document, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia and the State of the Central Coast Symposium on California’s Marine Protected Areas. The highlights of our meeting are below. For further information, we encourage you to visit our website www.opc.ca.gov to access the meeting minutes and the webcast.

Sea Level Rise Guidance updates

The Council heard about updates made to the Sea Level Rise Guidance document. In 2008, the Coast and Ocean Climate Action Team (CO-CAT) developed Interim Sea Level Rise Guidance to serve state agencies while a robust report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was generated. The NAS report was released in 2012 and the Sea Level Rise Guidance Document was updated by incorporating the new science from that report.  The changes in the document were summarized, including slightly different Sea Level Rise projections and discussion of the hazards related with coastal storm impacts, particularly in the next thirty to forty years. The Coastal and Ocean Climate Action Team will continue to conduct outreach and ensure that the Guidance is useful to state agencies.

Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

The Council received a brief update of the state of the science in California along with an update on the California Ocean Acidification Panel. The Ocean Science Trust assembled an Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel comprised of subject matter experts to address the informational needs on both topics. The panel includes experts from Oregon, Washington and federal level agencies and managers. Dr. Steve Weisberg, an OST SAT member, stated that public interest in ocean acidification and hypoxia is increasing and that that OPC prioritization of this issue has helped increase focus on the issue statewide, linking the science to management needs. Dr. Weisberg described fundamental science related to ocean acidification and hypoxia that is presently under examination.

Local Coastal Program Sea Level Rise Grant Program

Mary Small, Deputy Secretary of the State Coastal Conservancy updated the council on the status of the Grants Program and described the draft grant criteria. The purpose of grant program is to help local governments to update their LCPs to protect important coastal resources. Susan Hansch expressed the California Coastal Commission’s support for this item.

Central Coast Symposium

The results of the most widespread effort to assess the state of the central coast ocean ecosystem were reported in the Symposium. Together, the Ocean Protection Council, the Ocean Science Trust, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Fish and Game Commission has developed an internal work plan for marine protected areas in order to divide up the work in meaningful ways to create an understanding of shared goals and shared core values. They committed to a strong partnership for ocean management and particularly for marine protected area management.

Election of Council Chair

Secretary Laird was re-elected Council Chairperson unanimously.

For more meeting details, please visit our website: http://www.opc.ca.gov/category/meetings/

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Waterfronts and the activities that depend on them, such as shipping, fishing and transportation, have played a central role in shaping our nation’s history and they remain a significant driver of the nation’s economy and culture. Activity associated with America’s ocean and Great Lakes waterfronts accounts for 3.41 percent of total U.S. Gross Domestic Product and 4.85 percent of total employment, representing some 130,855 businesses employing 2.4 million full-time and part-time employees, according to new research released in March by the National Working Waterfront Network.

Today, goods and people move through 3,200 cargo and passenger facilities and 360 commercial ports in the United States. International trade via seaports is expected to significantly increase in the near future. Cargo and container ships are joined by tankers, barges, ferries, tugboats, cruise ships, and recreational watercraft, all of which are equally dependent on marine infrastructure and access to the coast. These waterfronts are not just on the ocean, but also the Great Lakes and 12,000 miles of inland waterways, extending the reach of working waterfront concerns to nearly all 50 states.

These numbers are from a recent economic analysis conducted by the National Working Waterfront Network with funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.

“The economic impacts of working waterfronts have been difficult to quantify, because of the diversity of water-dependent uses that make up the waterfront, from tiny marinas, boat yards, and fish houses, to industrial ports, shipping, and transportation,” said Bob Swett of Florida Sea Grant, one of the authors of the study. The researchers relied upon detailed establishment-level data on employment and value added for more than 20 different water-dependent industry sectors available from the National Ocean Economics Program.

The economic study was part of the “Sustainable Working Waterfronts Toolkit” released last month at the third National Working Waterfronts and Waterways Symposium in Tacoma, hosted by Washington and Oregon Sea Grant programs.

In addition to the research findings on the economic value of waterfronts, the Sustainable Working Waterfronts Toolkit contains information about the historic and current uses of waterfront space, and identifies legal, policy, and financing tools that can be used to preserve, enhance, and protect waterfronts at local and regional levels, such as zoning and design standards, financing and tax approaches, research and mapping, conservation and restoration.

“The Symposium presented an ideal opportunity to get the toolkit into the hands of people who can use it to make a difference on their waterfront,” said Stephanie Showalter Otts, National Working Waterfront Network co-chair and director of the National Sea Grant Law Center, one of the lead institutions on the Toolkit project.

Working waterfronts need national as well as local attention, as expressed by many of the speakers at the Tacoma symposium, including U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. and state Sen. Kevin Ranker; Ron Sims, former Deputy Secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development; and Kyle Molten of the office of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

As vital as working waterfronts are to the nation, they are at risk.

Working waterfronts share coastal real estate with a disproportionately large and growing segment of the U.S. population. Port authorities, city planners, conservation organizations, and the business community are among the many interests working to balance these varied and sometimes competing uses while addressing multiple challenges. Communities often lack an understanding of how waterfronts work. It can be difficult to garner political support for needed physical improvements. The pressures to convert valuable marine infrastructure to non-water-dependent uses, such as residences, offices and even sports stadiums, is constant.

Yet working waterfronts are unique and irreplaceable. Whether they date back decades or centuries, working waterfronts have developed in very different political and regulatory climates and could not be replicated under current standards. Given no or limited opportunity for new or expanded working waterfronts, capacity to accommodate marine commerce and industry is more or less fixed in most areas.

These sentiments are echoed by some of the 18 recommendations put forward by the National Working Waterfront Network, calling on political leaders to:

• Recognize the importance of working waterfronts at the highest level of government in policies, guidance documents, and federal actions; and analyze the best government policies to protect current working waterfront uses.
• Ensure no net loss of working waterfronts by creating and maintaining a national inventory of working waterfronts, including those no longer in use but with a potential future use.
• Document cultural aspects of working waterfronts and their role in coastal communities.
• Facilitate a national conversation about how current and emerging issues, such as sea-level rise and coastal storms, threaten working waterfronts.

While the exact future of any working waterfront is not always predictable, what is known is that they are unique places that support and preserve future economic opportunities, recreational access, and the cultural heritage of our nation’s coasts.

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The National Working Waterfront Network is comprised of businesses, industry associations, nonprofits, local governments and communities, state and federal agencies, universities, Sea Grant programs, and individuals dedicated to supporting, preserving, and enhancing our nation’s working waterfronts and waterways. To learn more about the research findings, the toolkit, and working waterfront initiatives around the country, visit www.wateraccessus.com.

–
Natalie Springuel
Marine Extension Associate
Maine Sea Grant
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
207-288-2944 x5834
nspringuel@coa.edu
www.seagrant.umaine.edu
www.DowneastFisheriesTrail.org
www.WaterAccessUS.com
www.AccessingTheMaineCoast.com

Natalie Springuel is a member of The University of Maine Marine Extension Team (MET), a collaboration of Maine Sea Grant and Cooperative Extension providing educational and applied research programs in coastal community development, ecosystem health, fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism.

[40th Annual Fisheries Forum]

MEMORANDUM

TO:                             California Ocean and Coastal Community

FROM:                      John Laird, Secretary for Natural Resources

DATE:                       March 15, 2013

RE:                            Ocean Protection Council Meeting- March 27, 2013 in Sacramento

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) will convene in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from 2:00-5:00pm at the CA Natural Resources Agency Auditorium (1416 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814).

The meeting agenda will include discussion on the following items:

1.       Welcome, Introduction of New Council Member  Michael Brown and  Council Member Announcements — Secretary Laird, Council Chair and other members of the Council

a.       Action: Selection of OPC chair for 2013

2.       Report from the Executive Director — Cat Kuhlman, Executive Director, OPC

3.       Report from the Science Advisor — Skyli McAfee, Executive Director, California Ocean Science Trust

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

4.       Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia: An overview. — Cat Kuhlman, Executive Director, OPC

5.       Sea Level Rise Guidance:  Presentation of the updated Sea Level Rise Guidance. — Sarah Flores, Project Manager, OPC

6.       Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia: A brief review of the science and updates on the west coast response and the California panel. — Skyli McAfee, Executive Director, OST and Steve Weisberg, Executive Director, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project

ACTION ITEM

7.       Sea-Level Rise: Review and possible approval of grant criteria and grant application form for the Local Coastal Program Sea Level Rise Grant Program to help local governments plan for adaptation to sea-level rise and associated climate change impacts along the open coast of California. — Mary Small, Deputy Director, State Coastal Conservancy

Exhibit 1: November 29, 2012 OPC Staff Recommendation
Exhibit 2: Draft Grant Application Form

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

8.       Central Coast Symposium: A recap of the symposium and a discussion of the next steps forward in implementing California’s network of Marine Protected Areas. — Skyli McAfee, Executive Director, OST, Cat Kuhlman, Executive Director, OPC

Attachment 1: Symposium Program

Attachment 2: Symposium Media Coverage

9.       Public Comment on non-agenda items

10.   Arrangements for next meeting and Adjournment

The meeting agenda is available at: http://www.opc.ca.gov/2013/03/ocean-protection-council-meeting-march-27-2013/

For more information about the OPC, please visit our website at http://www.opc.ca.gov.

Managing our coastal and ocean resources is paramount for Californians, and as always the OPC looks forward to hearing from experts and the public on these and other critical issues.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Sea-Level Rise: Review and possible approval of grant criteria and grant application form for the Local Coastal Program Sea Level  Rise  Grant Program to help local governments plan for adaptation to sea-level rise and associated climate change impacts along the open coast of California.

_______________________________________________

MARINE RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Committee Chairs: Commissioner Rogers and Commissioner Sutton

Meeting Agenda
March 20, 2013
1:00 p.m.
California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street, Room 13201
Sacramento, CA 95814

All agenda items are informational and/or discussion only. The Marine Resources Committee does not have authority to make policy or regulatory decisions on behalf of the Commission.

1. Introductions
2. Informational updates

a. California Department of Fish and Wildlife
b. California Ocean Protection Council

3. Update: California Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan
4. Discussion: MRC Rules of Order and Procedures
5. Discussion: MRC Priorities—seeking input on prioritization of issues the MRC should consider in 2013-14
6. Adjourn

__________________________
1 Attendees must check in with valid photo identification to gain access to the meeting facility.

Posted: March 2nd, 2013 | BUSINESS
Lobstermen pursue union, seek clout before Legislature
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ready to certify fishermen
by Tom Groening

VINALHAVEN, Maine – It’s not the textbook definition of a union, a group of island lobstermen readily admits. But the nine fishermen who traveled to Maryland last month to learn about how they might join an international labor organization believe it’s time to think outside the box.

Tristan Jackson and eight others attended a week-long training session in Hollywood, Md., Feb. 18-22, meeting with legal and organizing staff of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. They returned to Maine convinced it’s time to start recruiting others in the bid to form a local union under the IAMAW’s wings

Joel Pitcher, an organizer and business representative for the IAMAW, based in Lisbon Falls, said the union paid for the trip.

Though the models for unions most understood are those in which workers organize to negotiate with employers for better compensation and conditions, Pitcher said there are organizations that more closely resemble what the lobstermen hope to form.

About a year ago, the IAMAW organized the so-called black-car drivers in New York, those who drive the black limousines often seen on the city’s streets. Even though many drivers own or lease their vehicles and are independent contractors, Pitcher said they have formed a chapter.

The IAMAW’s website features the slogan “Your 21st century labor union.” Pitcher explained that unions have to diversify and rethink their role as the economy has moved away from factories and other businesses that employ large numbers.

“We’re seeking members that don’t necessarily fit that [traditional union] mold,” he said.

The IAMAW has about 9,000 members in Maine and 400,000 nationally, Pitcher said.

Jackson and his fellow lobstermen were circulating a brochure seeking membership at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, Feb. 28-March 2. During some down time at the forum, Jackson and two others from the group who attended the training session met with a reporter. To questions about how a lobster union could help raise the dock price, Jackson said larger concerns were the focus.

“The goal of organizing any labor force is to achieve equitability,” he agreed. But matters such as “the health of their industry, the health of their community, the health of their quality of life” are driving lobstermen’s effort to form a union.

“People want affordable health care,” he said, “the hope of retiring, a paid day off, to be valued for the skills they have.”

Jackson and others are convinced lobster buyers discuss price among themselves, despite laws prohibiting such collusion. And as fishermen, they are unable under federal law to work at fixing their price, as much as they might want to withhold catch to raise their income.

Instead, they want to take the talk away from the dock and to the State House.

Though organizations like the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association represent thousands of fishermen, Pitcher and Jackson believe a union would be more visible and more powerful.

Pitcher said the next step is to write a charter that will govern how a Maine lobstering local will operate. Members would pay dues, with some of the money going to the international organization, and some available for the local chapter, he said. Certification under the standards of the National Labor Relations Act would follow.

If 70 percent of the 5,000 or so lobstermen in Maine join within a few years, the organization would be heard in Augusta and elsewhere, both Pitcher and Jackson said. Though they do not want to be seen as being dismissive of the lobstermen’s associations, they believe a union would have more clout.

“It gets them one voice, which they’ve never had before,” Pitcher said.

Which brings the discussion back to price. Though Pitcher and Jackson steer questions away from price-per-pound issues, clearly, quality of life, retirement and other long-term goals are tied to what lobstermen can earn. Last summer’s large supply, steady demand and resultant low price put all those goals in jeopardy, and are driving new strategies.

Pitcher said that once fishermen have the status before lawmakers that comes with a union, the options are endless. Lobstermen might pursue price supports, like those enjoyed by dairy farmers. Or they might influence smaller matters, such as a legislative proposal to have higher license fees cover most of the cost of a marketing effort; instead, the bulk of the surcharge could be put on dealers, he suggested, if fishermen had that clout.

For now, the group is focusing on the organizing and recruiting plan they crafted in Maryland. For more information, call 380-1883 or 751-3878.

Upstairs Classroom, 6 Harbor Way
Santa Barbara, California
21 – 22 February 2013
Thursday, 21 February, 1230 HRS (Or Upon Completion of the IFR Board Meeting)

I.    CALL TO ORDER – Roll Call/Establish Quorum/Port Reports

II.   REVIEW/REVISE AGENDA

III.    SECRETARY’S REPORT – Review/Revise/Approve Minutes of  the 23 – 24 October Board Meeting              

IV.   TREASURER’S REPORT
A. Financial Statement
B. Fund Raising – Status of Grant Proposals

V.   SALMON
A. Preparations for Salmon Info Mtg. (28 Feb), PFMC Mtg. (6-11 Mar)              
B. BDCP/Delta Stewardship Council/GGSA Salmon Plan
C. Salmon Council
D. Salmon Stamp 
E. Coastal Chinook Status – Need for Population Counts/Status of Recovery Plan
F. Klamath
G. Columbia
H. Frankenfish Comments to FDA
I. Salmon Aid
J. Other

VI.   CRAB
A.    Implementation of Trap Limits
B.     Other

VII.   GROUNDFISH
A.    CFA Development – Reports from San Francisco, Bodega Bay, Morro Bay
B.     Proposal to Close RCA from 20 -30 Fathoms for Fixed Gear
C.     Restructuring of Groundfish Vessel Buyback Loan Repayment

Recess – 1730 HRS
 

Friday, 22 February, 0830 HRS Reconvene

      VIII.    SANTA BARBARA/SO CAL FISHERY ISSUES
A.    Lobster
B.     Dive Fisheries
C.     Port Infrastructure

IX.   MLPA – Discussion of Draft Survey on Impact of Lost Fishing Grounds

X.   LEGISLATION
A. Federal
B. State
C.  Fisheries Forum

         XI.    SCOPING OF MARINE SANCTUARY EXPANSION FOR GFNMS, CBNMS

       XII.    OLD BUSINESS/NEW BUSINESS
Schedule for Upcoming Meetings/Action Items

Adjourn – 1300 HRS  

Zeke Grader, Executive Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
O’Neill-Ueber Marine Campus (Bldg. 991), The Presidio
P.O. Box 29370
San Francisco, CA 94129-0370
Tel: (415) 561-5080, ext. 224
Fax: (415) 561-5464
E-Mail: ZGrader@ifrfish.org
Web: www.pcffa.org

The ice machine has been running since 3;00 p.m. today making ice without any problems.  With any luck, ice should be available to the fleet by midday tomorrow.  If you don’t hear from me again, that means everything is working fine.  If there are any problems, I’ll update you promptly.

Mick Kronman
Harbor Operations Manager
City of Santa Barbara
805-897-2587
mkronman@santabarbaraca.gov

I am a commercial fisherman, urchin diver, and President of Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara (CFSB). CFSB is extremely disappointed to learn of the fishermen poaching our marine resources. We support the efforts of Fish and Game to seek out any fisherman that is blatantly breaking the law. As Matt Kettmann’s article explained, illegal fishing and poaching rarely occur among commercial fishermen, but there are the occasional bad apples, as there are in any industry.

Commercial fishermen cannot afford to break the law. Fishing is our livelihood. If we break the law, we lose our livelihoods; in turn, we cannot support our families and pay our mortgages in Santa Barbara. In the long term, it is a lot more profitable (ecologically and economically) to legally pick urchins than to poach abalone or practice any illegal fishing. There is too much at stake to fish illegally. Generally, fishermen do self-police; we look out for each other and keep each other in check. In this situation, it may have been possible that only one diver participated in the poaching without the others’ knowledge. A main job of commercial fishermen is to ensure the longevity of our marine resources, and it is in our best interest to abide by the management rules of our fisheries.

I am frustrated with Kettmann’s statement that multiple attempts to contact commercial fishermen were unsuccessful, making it seem like we couldn’t be bothered with this issue. Fishermen fish for a living, and most of us work at the Channel Islands where there are no cellphone connections. I understand that Kettmann had a deadline, but he needs to realize that we work underwater for a living, and need more than a day to respond. These are severe accusations that are being made to these commercial fishermen, and CFSB takes this very seriously. We support Fish and Game’s and the District Attorney’s investigations, and the taking of poachers’ commercial fishing licenses if they are found guilty. Commercial fishing is an honest living, and we seek to keep it that way.

originally published: Santa Barbara Independent – http://www.independent.com/news/2012/dec/20/honest-living/