Government Affairs
Oregon Marine Protected Areas
Oregon has been engaged in a process that could establish marine reserves along its coast that may significantly affect sportfishing access. The state of Oregon has completed its process for recommending marine reserves and marine protected areas and recommendations made by the community work groups have been provided to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the legislature. ASA and its Oregon representative are now working with the legislature’s coastal caucus on draft legislation.
Background
In early 2008, Oregon Governor Kulongoski sought to establish a network of 'fewer than ten' marine reserves, also known as no-take zones, in state waters, the governor instructed the state's Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) to provide him with recommended locations for marine reserves.
The OPAC issued a call for proposals from members of the public. In the fall 2008, OPAC received a variety of proposals from the public, including the recreational fishing and environmental communities. Members of the environmental community proposed a series of marine reserves and marine conservation areas, which provide for some form of limited fishing access, that would place 30 percent of Oregon's waters in either a reserve or conservation area.
In June 2009, the Oregon legislature passed a bill, which was signed into law by the governor, that establishes two pilot marine reserves and four additional sites for further study. The act also requires the development of a work plan that outlines clear goals and objectives for the two marine reserves and a process for the further consideration and development of the additional sites through community action teams. Most importantly, the law says that if the state does not have adequate resources to scientifically monitor the marine reserves, then the fishing restrictions would be lifted.
Community action teams, comprised of various stakeholder representatives, are currently evaluating several proposed marine reserve sites. In December 2010, the OPAC accepted and approved the recommendations on three of the evaluation sites. The approved areas include small marine reserves and some adjacent MPAs. The reserves, in which no extraction of resources is permitted, are approximately 2.5 percent of the state’s marine waters. The MPAs – which permit recreational fishing – represent approximately 3 percent of the state’s marine waters. There are extensive requirements for base line monitoring for both biological and socioeconomic impacts before the areas are put in place. The final establishment of the areas will be done through the legislative process in 2011. For more information, please visit www.oregonocean.info/marinereserves.
ASA’s Position
The sportfishing industry’s position is that recreational fishing should not be restricted without clear scientific evidence that it is causing damage to habitat or fish populations. Access to the resource is a critical element in having successful recreational fishing. Recreational anglers and boaters have always been in the forefront of fisheries conservation in the United States, financing countless conservation and restoration projects through license fees, motorboat fuel taxes and the federal excise tax on fishing tackle. Thus, recreational fishing should be fully protected, and further promoted, in any marine reserve proposal.
At $71.7 million, Oregon earns a significant amount of state and local tax revenues from sportfishing. The goal of Oregon's sportfishing advocates and anglers is to protect the marine environment while minimizing unwarranted closures of Oregon's coastal waters to recreational fishing. The purpose of pursuing this goal is to:
- Maintain and improve the conservation of Oregon's marine fisheries and associated marine resources so as to improve the overall health of the ocean;
- Assure that the process for future closures or designations in Oregon relies on biological and economic information in a balanced fashion; and
- Increase sportfishing opportunities in Oregon from their current economic and participation levels.
Oregon Recreational Fishing Facts
Saltwater sportfishing in the state of Oregon:
- Generates $250.2 million annual economic output;
- Generates $153.7 million in retail sales;
- Generates $16.7 million in State and local income taxes;
- Generates $76.5 million in Oregon salaries, wages, and business profits; and
- Is enjoyed by over 150,000 anglers.
