California Establishes Major Marine Reserve Network

by Roddy Scheer
The California Fish and Game Commission announced last week that it was creating the nation’s second largest network of marine reserves off that state’s central coast in order to protect and help restore depleted fisheries there. The new network encompasses 29 marine protected areas from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. Commercial and most sport fishing will be banned in an area covering about 200 square miles of coastal waters.

"Today's milestone makes California a national leader in oceans management and is proof of what can be done when all those involved--the fishing industry, environmentalists and others--work together," Calfornia governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said. (for complete story, click on headline)