Protecting the oceans

UCSB students hold news conference in advance of going to Sacramento

By DAVE MASON

NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Several enthusiastic UCSB students stood Wednesday morning in front of the Campus Lagoon and called for action to make 30% of California’s ocean waters Marine Protected Areas by 2030.

The students, who are with the UCSB chapter of California Students Public Interest Research Group, were holding a news conference, complete with signs such as “Protect Our Oceans.” The small audience consisted of UCSB students, a UCSB alumnus and one professional media outlet, the News-Press.

The students will repeat their emphasis on marine conservation when they head to Sacramento this weekend and join CALPIRG students from UC campuses throughout the state. An estimated 60 students are expected to show up, including eight or so from UCSB.

On Monday, the students from UCSB and other UC campuses will gather on the state Capitol lawn to rally in support of adding MPAs, and they will meet with members of the higher education committees of the Assembly and Senate, CALPIRG Students campus organizer Ori Liwanag told the News-Press Wednesday evening.

CALPirg also plans for students to meet with a representative of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

Currently 9% of the ocean along the California coast consists of Marine Protected Areas, which UCSB student Kristi Copeland, who hosted Wednesday’s news conference, compared to “national parks but in the water.”

Although California is a leader in Marine Protected Areas, there’s more that Californians can do, and it’s critical to do it quickly because of climate change, Miss Copeland, 20, told her audience before other speakers talked. After the news conference, some students composed handwritten letters that will be taken to Sacramento.

While the letters were written, Ms. Copeland — whose majors include physical geology with an ocean science emphasis — told the News-Press that the most recent review by California Fish and Wildlife shows the biomass of fish in Marine Protected Areas has grown significantly.

For more information, go on Instagram and look for: @ ucsbcalpirg.

MPAs are designed to offer protection for marine life and habitat and can limit human activities to various degrees.

According to the California Fish and Wildlife website (wildlife. ca.gov), the three main types of MPAs are State Marine Reserves, State Marine Park and State Marine Conservation area.

According to Fish and Wildlife, fishing, kelping and other extractive activities aren’t allowed in SMRs with the exception of scientific collecting with a permit.

“SMPs don’t allow any commercial

UCSB student Kristi Copeland talks about the importance of Marine Protected Areas during a news conference Wednesday in front of the Campus Lagoon. MPAs include the nearby Campus Point area. Standing behind Miss Copeland is another of the conference’s speakers, Jake Twomey. Please see OCEANS on B4 comply with Assembly Bill 864, which was authored by First District Supervisor Das Williams when he was an Assembly member. AB 864 mandates operators to install best available technology on existing pipelines within the coastal zone to reduce the volume released in the event of a potential line failure. Installation of BAT is required by April 1. Even if the appeal is denied and the project is approved, the April 1

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