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OPAC meeting today in Reedsport
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | No comments posted.
The Ocean Policy Advisory Council is meeting in Reedsport today and Thursday and discussing some hot-button topics pertinent to residents on the South Coast: marine reserves and wave energy.
The Marine Reserves Working Group and Wave Energy Working Group are meeting today at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, prior to the full council meeting on Thursday.
The working groups' agendas include progress updates and reports from subcommittees and the governor's office.
The full council will hear reports from the working groups on Thursday and possibly vote on issues regarding marine reserves in Oregon waters. The council will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The public will be able to comment on marine reserves issues at about noon and on wave energy issues at about 2:30 p.m. The council will hear public comments relating to general ocean issues at about 4:50 p.m., before it adjourns.
Marine reserves in Oregon waters has been a controversial issue, with many recreational and commercial fishermen opposing the wide-scale establishment of areas that may close them out off lucrative fishing grounds. Proponents, on the other hand, point to the necessity of creating set-aside areas so that fish and shellfish populations can recoup their numbers.
Last week, the California Fish and Game Commission approved the designation of 29 marine reserves on the central coast, between Santa Barbara and Half Moon Bay. Thirteen of those will be closed to all fishing - both commercial and recreational. More are planned for the northern California coast.
In 2006, Gov. Ted Kulongoski proposed making the entire Oregon territorial sea - and the ocean extending out to the continental shelf, in federal waters - a national marine sanctuary.
The proposal for wave energy parks off the Oregon Coast also has sparked some controversy. Again, fishermen fear they will be micromanaged to the point of not being able to fish effectively, limited to smaller and smaller areas.
However, the desire for alternative forms of energy, especially during this time of gas prices higher than $3 a gallon, is pressing. Alternative energy has been the focus of several legislative proposals at the federal and state levels. Kulongoski has emphasized the need to examine this new form of energy to the point of making the wave energy park proposal off the Gardiner area an Oregon Solutions project - a process through which stakeholders would be involved and the project would be up and running quickly.
The working group meetings and the full Ocean Policy Advisory Council meeting will be held at the Port of Umpqua offices, 364 N. Fourth Street in Reedsport.
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On the Web: http://www.lcd.state. or.us/LCD/OPAC/index.shtml
The Marine Reserves Working Group and Wave Energy Working Group are meeting today at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, prior to the full council meeting on Thursday.
The working groups' agendas include progress updates and reports from subcommittees and the governor's office.
The full council will hear reports from the working groups on Thursday and possibly vote on issues regarding marine reserves in Oregon waters. The council will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The public will be able to comment on marine reserves issues at about noon and on wave energy issues at about 2:30 p.m. The council will hear public comments relating to general ocean issues at about 4:50 p.m., before it adjourns.
Marine reserves in Oregon waters has been a controversial issue, with many recreational and commercial fishermen opposing the wide-scale establishment of areas that may close them out off lucrative fishing grounds. Proponents, on the other hand, point to the necessity of creating set-aside areas so that fish and shellfish populations can recoup their numbers.
Last week, the California Fish and Game Commission approved the designation of 29 marine reserves on the central coast, between Santa Barbara and Half Moon Bay. Thirteen of those will be closed to all fishing - both commercial and recreational. More are planned for the northern California coast.
In 2006, Gov. Ted Kulongoski proposed making the entire Oregon territorial sea - and the ocean extending out to the continental shelf, in federal waters - a national marine sanctuary.
The proposal for wave energy parks off the Oregon Coast also has sparked some controversy. Again, fishermen fear they will be micromanaged to the point of not being able to fish effectively, limited to smaller and smaller areas.
However, the desire for alternative forms of energy, especially during this time of gas prices higher than $3 a gallon, is pressing. Alternative energy has been the focus of several legislative proposals at the federal and state levels. Kulongoski has emphasized the need to examine this new form of energy to the point of making the wave energy park proposal off the Gardiner area an Oregon Solutions project - a process through which stakeholders would be involved and the project would be up and running quickly.
The working group meetings and the full Ocean Policy Advisory Council meeting will be held at the Port of Umpqua offices, 364 N. Fourth Street in Reedsport.
--
On the Web: http://www.lcd.state. or.us/LCD/OPAC/index.shtml
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