STOP: You do not need to donate, that is only for Change.org to market it more on their end. I couldn’t turn that option off so am leaving this here to let people know. 

This petition will be submitted to the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) in addition to a completed change request petition at the end of November.

The petition will request that 3 MPAs around Southern California: the Footprint, Gull Island, and Santa Barbara Island, be modified to SMCAs that allow for the limited take of pelagic finfish OR highly migratory species (HMS). The petition will request this allowance be made for all recreational fishing of these species, commercial hook-and-line, commercial harpoon of swordfish, and commercial deep-set-buoy gear (DSBG). 

These fisheries all have minimal impacts to the species/ecosystems the current MPAs aim to protect (local, non-pelagic fish that do not leave these areas, like rockfish). These fisheries would allow for selective targeting of species that are simply swimming through the closures as they migrate the oceans and ignore more sedentary fish that live near the bottom on rocks and reefs . 

The changes being requested in the petition are something that has been desired by the public since the MPAs implementation over 20 years ago. Today, we finally have the data and opportunity to finally make such a change.

If made, the changes would allow for streamlined targeting of pelagic or highly migratory species while keeping local ecosystem protections in place. Please show your support for this petition by signing below.

Thank you.