California’s legislature would not consider and pass a bill to implement a clearly overbearing 30 x 30 law, which would have placed draconian anti-user restrictions on 30% of our state lands and waters. The bill failed in committee.
Our governor seemed to pitch a fit and declared an executive order to implement his own personal version of a 30 x 30 plan, which unfairly targets the most vulnerable segments of California’s population.
His 30 x 30 Executive Order is not a law passed by our state legislature; it is an angry governor’s singular declaration, and he is forcing his state agencies to implement his wishes in spite of our legislators.
I shake my head at that, but more importantly, at what his order takes away from us.
Along our coast and islands, the 30 x 30 order, according to the governor, means NO FISHING! The wording talks about 30% protected waters, yet we have numerous and strong protections in place with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, state parks, existing Marine Protected Areas, military closures, fisheries regulations pertaining to closed seasons, zero take on specific species, bag limits … The list of existing protections go on and on, and together adds up to far greater than 30%.
The governor’s 30 x 30 Executive Order is a straight up attack on grandparents, parents and kids wanting and needing to go fishing for their dinner, as well as a family outing.
The singular group most negatively affected by the socially destructive order is our substantial disadvantaged community who would be locked out of large swaths of fishable waters they depend upon to put nutritious and affordable fresh protein on their children’s plates.
Many of our disadvantaged community members are unable to keep up with inflation in food prices, so they and their children and grandchildren go without. A good number of these folks rely on subsistence fishing for affordable protein. The governor’s Executive Order wrests that option away from people who most need it.
In other U.S. states considering the 30 x 30 concept, recreational fishing is firmly protected for great reasons. For one, it is nutritionally, culturally and recreationally important to so many people. Another reason is that our fisheries and wildlife are carefully managed for sustainability, and we do not need fishing closures.
Here in California, we have a radical element who demand that the only level of marine protection acceptable is absolute lockout, enforced no-fishing areas.
Considering our wildlife is so well managed, and considering the needs of our community members from disadvantaged subsistence anglers to yacht owners in the harbor who support whole industries and thousands of jobs, the desires of the radical element are destructive and unreasonable.
Organizations and individuals are gearing up to stop the destructive intent of the 30 x 30 plan, and to protect the rights of our people to fish for their family table. A major representative organization is Coastal Conservation Association, California Chapter. To learn more, visit www.ccacalifornia.org.
I’m working with them and others to stop this blatant effort to shut down fishing options for us Californians.
