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Protecting Tomales Bay and California’s Estuaries in 2022

To ensure the Bay remains healthy and thriving, we advocate to protect wildlife and sensitive habitats from harmful industrial, commercial, and excessive recreational development activities.

We fight for consistent management strategies, enforcement, and strong permit conditions; and we engage with state resource management agencies to improve oversight, compliance, and planning guidance.

We work to protect coastal resources, like eelgrass (Zostera marina), species of special concern, endangered and native species, marine mammals, and shore and waterbirds in Tomales Bay and beyond.

2022 was a busy year for our Healthy Tomales Bay campaign!

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Tomales Bay Oyster Co. Coastal Development Permit Approved

The Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Tomales Bay Oyster Company’s existing shellfish aquaculture operations permit at the August 10th Commission Meeting including conditions to help safeguard eelgrass habitat in the future.

The "conditions provide support for many species in the bay: the coho salmon, brant...” said Ashley Eagle-Gibbs, EAC legal and policy director, “There have been significant declines in shorebirds on Tomales Bay. It’s great that this operator is now in compliance and there are strong protections for habitat and eelgrass.”

Public Interest Criteria Move Forward for CA Aquaculture

As part of our healthy Tomales Bay campaign, we monitor our local aquaculture industry to make sure it’s sustainable and any new leases are located in areas that are not harmful to the environment. . We work to ensure that coastal resources, like eelgrass, species of special concern, endangered and native species, marine mammals, and shore and waterbirds are protected in Tomales Bay and beyond.

This month, the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) Marine Resources Committee will be reviewing new public interest criteria guidelines to use for their review of new aquaculture lease considerations. Essentially, this is a first-step checklist for the Commission to review when a new lease application is received that will help the Commission to make an informed decision whether that lease should be (or should not be) allowed to move forward based on the public’s best interest.

Celebrating Ocean Day by Cleaning Up the Beach

We celebrated World Ocean Day on June 8th by cleaning up Drakes Beach and providing plastic pollution education with volunteers organized by SipSmith.

World Ocean Day is a good opportunity to raise awareness around the struggles our global oceans face including plastic pollution. In a world of single use plastics, our oceans are filling up with trash. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists, breaking down into smaller and smaller fragments or microplastic.

Hydraulic Clamming Pumps Now Banned!

With increases in recreational fishing during the pandemic, here in West Marin we witnessed an increase in clamming and the use of hydraulic pumps. Hydraulic pumps can collect a full day's worth of clams at varying tide levels in just a few minutes and leave behind significant habitat damage. As part of our work to ensure environmentally responsible fisheries, we successfully advocated with partners for an emergency statewide ban of hydraulic pumps for harvesting clams, sand crabs, and shrimp. This spring, we were thrilled when the Fish and Game Commission applied a permanent rule to fully ban the use of these tools for harvesting clams, sand crabs, and shrimp. Our spring Legal and Policy intern, Rachel Clyde, joined our advocacy on this topic, speaking at the Fish and Game Commission meetings in the winter and spring of 2022.

Advocating for our Oceans at the 17th Annual CA Ocean Day

On March 29th, our team participated in the 17th annual California Ocean Day. This is an incredible state-wide event that brings leaders, experts, and advocates together to discuss current ocean conservation efforts and how we can improve them.

There were a variety of panels and speakers made up of leaders in ocean conservation that shared their insight on 30x30 (state and national effort to conserve 30% of land and water by 2030), microplastics, Chumash tribal conservation work and more. We always appreciate opportunities to learn from our colleagues and advocate for ocean policy.

Tell the Fish & Game Commission What Tomales Bay Means to You!

On March 24th, the California Fish and Game’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC) will be discussing aquaculture leasing in California. If you are a member of the public who enjoys Tomales Bay, we need you to send in a note about how you enjoy Tomales Bay (example: fishing, boating, birding, wildlife watching, clamming, kayaking, the protection of environmentally sensitive habitat areas, etc.). Can you send an email to the Commission by Monday, March 21st at 12pm.? Send your email to fgc@fgc.ca.gov. Comments submitted by noon on 3/21 will be provided to the Commissioners the day of the meeting. Thank you to our members and constituents that already sent in comments!

Coastal Act Preserved: CA Assembly Bill 303 Pulled!

We have good news to report! Through our efforts in coordinating a statewide aquaculture coalition of coastal groups, we successfully organized a strategy and succeeded in having the Assembly Natural Resources Committee’s January hearing for California Assembly Bill (AB) 303 (Aquaculture: mariculture production and restoration: pilot program) canceled at the request of the bill author.

Healthy Tomales Bay Campaign Update

Our Healthy Tomales Bay campaign seeks to ensure the sustainability of the competing uses in the Bay, where we monitor the sustainability of recreational and commercial fishing, and help to ensure aquacultural best practices to reduce or eliminate marine debris and avoid impacting sensitive eelgrass habitat vital to declining fish and bird species. This blog post summarizes our 2021 work on this campaign.

Protecting our Coast! California Coastal Commission Updates

EAC engages on issues pertaining to coastal resource protection and public access related to West Marin which come before the California Coastal Commission and other state agencies. In February, the Dillon Beach Resort’s coastal development permit came before the California Coastal Commission. EAC submitted comments in advance and spoke at the hearing, generally supporting the staff recommendation.

We have also been supportive of introduced legislation which supports the California Coastal Commission’s enforcement authority under the California Coastal Act, helping to preserve our coastal resources and public access for all.

Healthy Tomales Bay: State Aquaculture Updates

It’s been a busy spring for aquaculture related items in the state. We are working to ensure local and state aquaculture development is sustainable. This is an important issue in coastal Marin, as much of the eastern shoreline of Tomales Bay includes aquaculture farms and requires monitoring and engagement.

We continue our work on the Healthy Tomales Bay campaign including a focus on making sure that local and statewide aquaculture is sustainable. In March, we testified at the Fish and Game Commission (FGC) Marine Resources Committee (MRC) meeting, where updates were provided on statewide aquaculture efforts including the development of an aquaculture action plan under the guidance of the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and statewide aquaculture principles.

EAC Supports the Next Generation of Environmental Advocates

Every summer, we host incredible teams of students seeking to gain experience in environmental policy, law, advocacy, and education. During the pandemic, our internship program expanded, and we pivoted to host remote internships throughout the entire year.

We believe that providing these opportunities create lasting and meaningful impressions that help to foster the environmental stewards of the future.

This semester, we are fortunate to have hosted another excellent team of interns and wanted to share the experience of Ariel Orr, legal and policy intern, who had the opportunity to represent EAC before the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and at Ocean Climate Day.

30% by 2030: Protecting Our Land and Water

On March 9th, EAC participated in the 16th annual California Ocean Day, where our team joined with advocates from across the state to celebrate our marine environment. In addition to meeting with our representatives Assemblymember Marc Levine and State Senator Mike McGuire, EAC also attended a panel discussion regarding the “30x30” initiative with Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, and other leaders in the field.

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Sustainable Aquaculture Updates! 

Sustainable Aquaculture Updates! 

Our work on local and state aquaculture continues, and we have been busy! Last week we organized a joint letter (with nine other NGOs) to the California Fish and Game Commission in advance of the Marine Resources Committee meeting regarding state aquaculture. The letter supports a continued hiatus on the acceptance of any new aquaculture leases as well voicing our collective support for the California Ocean Protection Council’s development of statewide coordinated aquaculture principles and a state aquaculture action plan. We plan to testify at the March 16 Marine Resources Committee meeting, which is open to the public.

Fish & Game Commission Hears Annual Update on Marine Protected Areas

On December 9th, the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) received their annual update on the state of California’s marine protected areas (MPAs). Following the update and presentation provided by the Fish and Wildlife Department, there was a strong turnout in support of the state MPA program. Several coastal organizations and stakeholders from up and down the state provided updates on individual programs and challenges from 2020, including increased poaching, visitation, and enforcement.

EAC’s Conservation Director provided an update on our local Marin MPA Watch program which collects data at six MPAs in Marin County in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore and California Academy of Sciences, as well as an update around our concerns related to increased activity and visitation at Duxbury Reef.

CA Ocean Protection Council Moves Forward Key Projects

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) met in September on several interesting topics including the advancement of a statewide sea-level rise communications strategy, a statewide aquaculture action plan, updates to the California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy (CEMP), and plastic pollution. The OPC’s mission is to “ensure that California maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations.” Keep reading…

California Aquaculture Update focused on Tomales Bay

EAC continues our active engagement in local and state aquaculture issues with our focus on Tomales Bay. In the spring, we participated in two Fish and Game Commission Marine Resources Committee meetings, submitting written comments in advance. In May, we also submitted comments related to a 401 water quality certification application (required by the Clean Water Act) for Hog Island Oyster Company. In addition, we continue to actively monitor legislation including our opposition to problematic state bills, as well as participating in the Ocean Protection Council’s preparation of an aquaculture action plan.

California Coastal Commission's Coastal Development Permit Application Guidance

In July, the California Coastal Commission released a draft of its Coastal Development Permit (CDP) Application Guidance for aquaculture and marine restoration. This guidance is in response to Senate Bill 262, passed into law in October 2019. This bill added a new section to the Public Resources Code requiring the Commission to develop guidance for CDP applicants to help explain the process and enhance efficiency where possible. Comments will be accepted until August 31st, and the final document is expected by the end of the year.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company Coastal Development Permit Amendment Approved by Coastal Commission

Charles Friend Oyster Company ( CFOC / Tomales Bay Oyster) submitted a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) amendment application to the California Coastal Commission (Commission) for an after-the-fact development. The CDP amendment was approved unanimously by the Commission on the consent calendar on August 8, 2019 as there were not any objections by the applicant or the public. EAC is generally supportive of the CDP amendment and continues to raise concerns on the prevalence of after-the-fact permit amendments that may set a standard for operators to install and remove unpermitted cultivation without obtaining permits and many times in sensitive habitat areas like eelgrass. The updated Special Conditions will assist to prevent future impacts to sensitive habitats.

EAC will continue to monitor CDP applications working to ensure protection of sensitive habitats like eelgrass and supporting efforts to mark gear to reduce issues with lost aquaculture debris in Tomales Bay.

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