SURFING SOAPBOX: Fishing ban makes no sense in Laguna

A few months back in a conversation with then-Mayor Toni Iseman she asked me what I thought about the city proposing a new law that prohibited spearfishing within city limits.

My first reaction was “Why?” It’s not as though we have an over abundance of people who spearfish here in Laguna Beach. Sure, I see the odd person spearfishing, or even fishing for that matter, but I certainly wouldn’t say our waters are being over-fished. It seemed then as it does to me now an answer that has no question.

What would our city gain by enforcing such a silly law? Who would enforce it? Our one already over-worked marine protection officer, who last I hear didn’t even have a city-issued car to use while enforcing those laws?

Is that the best answer our City Council can come up with — just banning it? I mean, wow, with the great success our city has had banning cigarettes from our beaches.

No offense, but how do you make a law when there is no one to enforce it?

It’s kind of like the guy who has been writing letters telling people not to feed the sea gulls because they carry killer diseases. But my favorite of all time comes from our former mayor when she wanted to pass an even more absurd law — one that would have sick sea lions neutered before being released back into the ocean.

Umm, OK. (Please insert your own comments regarding that one.)

So please excuse me when I hear talk of making the coast off of Laguna Beach a “no catch zone” under the Marine Life Protection Act, “in which legislation requires that the Department of Fish and Game develop a plan for establishing networks of marine protected areas in California waters to protect habitats and preserve ecosystem integrity, among other things.”

Perfect for our council to jump on that bandwagon. I don’t believe in banning anything when livelihoods are at stake. If you want to begin addressing preserving our oceans, I think it should begin with looking at our habits that take place on land that lead to urban runoff and sewage spills.

Instead of banning fishing in designated areas and taking jobs away from people, why not find a common ground of compromise? Begin with better education of these precious ecosystems, perhaps some changes in catch limits or in particular fishing seasons, as well as better management over such fishing industries, whether recreational or commercial.

We have to begin looking for better answers than just banishment — especially when it comes to preserving our oceans.

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native and professional surfer. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com