Op-Ed which appeared in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sunday, January 25, 2004
Here's a link to the piece on the Sentinel's own website. We're not sure how long the link will be valid.

Twenty-five years ago I learned to scuba dive along California's Central Coast. Today, as an underwater photographer, I document the beauty and wonder of our amazing wildlife and its habitats beneath the surface of the sea. In my quarter-century of experience under the ocean's surface, I've witnessed the decline of too many species: White abalone are close to extinction in this area, black abalone have become scarce, and there are no longer enough red abalone to sustain a fishery. Several species of rockfish have collapsed and National Marine Fisheries Service biologists estimate recovery to sustainable levels will take decades. Sea otters have been protected under the Endangered Species Act for many years but are still at a mere 10% of their historic population.

Fortunately, there are solutions. Marine reserves are a key tool that offer marine life "safe havens" from many threats. These no-fishing zones protect not only fish and shellfish that have been exploited, but the entire web of life within their boundaries. As predators like sea otters and sheephead decline, the sea urchins they consume may proliferate. Urchins are avid kelp eaters, and too many urchins can literally mow down entire kelp forests. Kelp forests support one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth, and function as nurseries for juvenile rockfish. Unlike traditional regulations designed to manage one species at a time, marine reserves protect entire ocean ecosystems.

Studies have shown that marine reserves result in more fish, larger fish, and increased biodiversity. Marine Reserves also protect habitat from damage caused by fishing gear, and prevent bycatch of birds, sea turtles and marine mammals. In short, they provide true refuges for ocean life. As a marine photographer, I've seen the success of a local reserve with my own eyes. The tiny State Marine Reserve at Point Lobos is a frequent destination for my underwater picture-taking expeditions. There, large rockfish can still be found. The ecosystem is in better balance, and the water teems with life. Countries from Australia to South Africa, from Egypt to Indonesia, have adopted marine reserves. Yet today in Central California, where citizens put the environment among their top priorities, less than 0.1% of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has this protection.
In 1999 California's Marine Life Protection Act became law. Divers, surfers, beach goers, conservationists and scientists all applauded passage of this landmark legislation that calls for creation of a network of marine protected areas, including marine reserves, as well as marine "parks" where recreational fishing is allowed, and conservation areas with site-specific protections.

The Schwarzennegger administration now appears willing to sacrifice the benefits of the Marine Life Protection Act on the budgetary altar. Last week, the Governor allowed his Department of Fish and Game to announce they'd put the MLPA on "indefinite hold," in the interest of saving its relatively modest implementation costs. On the campaign trail, Mr. Schwarzennegger promised to make protection of the California Coast a top priority. Now in office, his first major environmental policy move has been to shelve further work on the MLPA. But implementing the MLPA isn't so much a matter of dollars and cents as one of common sense. Moving forward with ocean protection now will cost far less than repairing ecological damage in the future. Creative solutions to minimize short term costs are available, including public/private partnerships and cooperative efforts between the State of California and the National Marine Sanctuary Program. California cannot afford to wait to protect its oceans.

As I've watched our marine life slip away, I've worried that photographs like mine will someday be all that remains of some of our marine wonders. Two years ago, I became the chair of a coalition that includes national and local environmental groups, as well as local surfers, divers, and recreational lovers of the central coast's ocean treasures. The Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life (www.CaliforniaMarineReserves.org) is dedicated to the creation of a network of marine reserves and other protected areas, as the law requires. In November 2003, the Public Policy Institute of California released a poll showing that 75% of Californians support establishment of more marine reserves. Our supporters comprise some of that overwhelming majority. We hope our new governor will re-join us and put MLPA back on track.

Sincerely,

Marc Shargel
Sea Life Photographer and
Chair, The Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life (COOL)