I normally keep county policy issues on my Commissioner Bill Hall page but Im starting to hear some distress about an article in the Friday News-Times about our discussion of the proposed National Marine Sanctuary off the southern coast. Theres a critical error in the article and at least the portion on line does not give proper context. First, we didnt vote on anything last week. It was a discussion item last week and will be on our agenda Wednesday, and the resolution is being clarified to say we oppose it is its present form. We have serious policy and process issues with this. First, the state is supposed to vet an idea like this through the Ocean Policy Advisory Council, which is appointed by the governor. That hasnt happened. Second, there is already a network of Marine Reserves in place along the coast established by the state of Oregon. Local communities have a fair degree of input on marine reserves, but thats not the case with federal sanctuaries. The area that would be impacted by this sanctuary is a key fishing grounds for local whiting boats. The whiting fleet supports 400 jobs and brings in $17 million a year. Like 97 percent of Oregon fisheries, it has been declared sustainable by fisheries managers. We have seen no credible evidence to support a need for this additional layer of protection. If such evidence can be produced, were willing to reconsider our position, but dont want to see this happen without an open public process and decisions based on clear evidence of a need.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 01:30:56 +0000
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