Few groups interact as closely with our country’s waterways and fisheries as the recreational boating and fishing community. Particularly here in California, with over 270 protected areas and miles of scenic coastline, recreational boaters and anglers daily, see firsthand the need to protect these resources to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy our waterways for years to come.
However, unnecessary albeit well-intentioned steps, taken in the California Legislature threatens to disrupt the necessary balance of both protecting our state’s ecosystems and providing access to its abundant recreational fishing opportunities — ultimately jeopardizing the future of this activity across the state.
California’s AB 3030 is a new bill that aims to protect 30 percent of the state’s lands and waters by 2030. Based on the 30×30 global initiative, the bill seeks to protect these lands and waters by prohibiting destructive and extractive activities. Like myself, residents of the Golden State can appreciate this laudable goal to protect our state’s critical natural resources. As part of a community that depends on clean water and healthy fisheries, and witnesses the devastating impacts of climate change firsthand, I am proud to live and work in a state that supports science-based efforts to protect our aquatic ecosystems.
But as currently written, AB 3030 could result in a range of unintended and troubling consequences, including unwarranted restrictions on recreational fishing that lack any scientific basis. That’s why I’m calling on our lawmakers to fix this measure before it moves any further through California’s legislature.
In reality, anglers and boaters are America’s original environmentalists and directly contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to aquatic conservation and education programs each year. The recreationists who enjoy our waterways and aquatic ecosystems have a greater appreciation for conservation and environmental stewardship. Recreational fishing also provides significant physical and mental health benefits and serves as a critical economic driver for our state, supporting more than 2,800 businesses and 41,000 jobs in California.
California’s anglers rely on healthy and sustainable waterways, which is why they consistently support strong protections for aquatic ecosystems. Far from many of the invasive and destructive activities the bill aims to prevent, recreational angling accounts for just two percent of total saltwater finfish caught each year, most of which is consumed as food. By falsely including recreational activities among this mix and ignoring the overwhelmingly positive attributes of recreational fishing, AB 3030 directly undermines the global 30×30 mission.
Striking the balance between the goals of recreational communities and conservation groups is not a distant goal. The fact is that President Obama repeatedly recognized recreational fishing as a sustainable use in marine national monuments. His leadership helped set a standard for preserving the economic and social benefits of recreational fishing within these cherished areas, while protecting these waters by banning more destructive practices, such as deep-sea mining.
Through this precedent, California has established itself as a leader in the fight to conserve biodiversity and protect our oceans, but AB 3030 disregards the important steps our state has already taken. From the many National Marine Sanctuaries off our coast to the high standards of fishing management that our state upholds, California has long served as a national model in protecting our waters.
Our state leaders should build on these efforts rather than starting from square one and implementing restrictions that curb access to a favorite American pastime. As such, I encourage California leaders to reconsider AB 3030 by removing the potential for unnecessary and counterproductive restrictions on recreational fishing and more accurately accounting for the existing, strong ocean and biodiversity protections California has in place. AB 3030, oppose unless amended.
Daniel Tabor is a former mayor of the City of Inglewood, Calif., a board member for Coastal Conservation Association California, and adjunct professor at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
