California has designated its first tribal-championed marine protected areas, often described as underwater parks. While environmentalists celebrate the historic move, commercial fishers warn they will lose access to key waters.
The California Fish and Game Commission voted Thursday to create two roughly nine-square-mile State Marine Conservation Areas near Carpinteria and around Central California’s Point Sal. The efforts were co-led by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, respectively. Both areas will allow hook-and-line fishing from the shore but prohibit commercial fishing and sportfishing from a boat.
The marine conservation area near Point Sal encompasses kelp forests and what’s known as Lion Rock, a haven for sea lions, seals and migratory birds, said Violet Sage Walker, chair of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. There are ancient village sites along the coast, she added.
“It’s a very important, special area within and surrounded by areas that are heavily fished and also heavily burdened by pollution and industrialization,” she said. The designation adds a “safeguard.”
She noted that the new state conservation area falls within the existing Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary but offers a higher level of protection, something she said will ward off looming threats — like possible oil and gas leases.
In a statement, Kenneth Kahn, chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, said he was heartened by the creation of the Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area, named for a nearby historical village. “This area has important cultural and spiritual values that deserve to be protected for future generations,” he said.
Douglas McCauley, a marine biology professor at UC Santa Barbara and former deckhand, called it an “ocean oasis” squeezed into a “postage stamp.” Among the diverse habitats are a salt marsh that serves as a nursery for leopard sharks and bat rays and kelp forests frequented by harbor seals and wrasses. It contains the largest nursery for white sharks in the state and possibly the world, he said.
“I’d be hard-pressed to choose an area that size that gives us that much biodiversity and ecological uniqueness and value anywhere along the California coastline,” he said. “So from the vantage point of ocean ecosystems, it’s unambiguously a positive thing.”
But many see the new protected areas as a loss, economically and socially.
Jaime Diamond, owner of Stardust Sportfishing and chief executive of the recreational hub Santa Barbara Landing, said the designation of the Mishopshno area spells the end of half-day trips her company offers, which are the most affordable and often ideal for families or people with mobility issues. She suggested they’ll now have to go farther out, which takes longer.
Diamond said there’s also a long tradition of locals harvesting food from the ocean. Diamond is a school board member and said high school fishing clubs have called her and said “this can’t be real,” while parents have told her they won’t be able to pursue activities with their kids that their families have done for generations.
“Even talking to you right now is really hard,” she said, choking up. “I am still trying to process what happened.”
On the Carpinteria Reef, commercial fishers target crab, lobster, sea urchin, sea cucumber and, farther out, fish, including halibut, said Dave Colker, executive director of Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Assn.
He said chipping away at opportunities to catch local seafood could mean flying in more fish from Chile or Mexico. That burns more fuel and puts more carbon in the air, so environmental groups may be acting counter to their goals, he said.
Yet exactly how and to what extent the designation will affect his members is unknown because no detailed analysis was done, he said. To him, that’s a problem.
“I believe you need to have a complete understanding of what the cause and effects are before you make a decision that’s going to last decades,” he said.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which advises the state Fish and Game Commission, echoed this concern in its written evaluation. The department advised the commission not to create the new marine protected areas and instead pursue tribal management opportunities in a separate process.
But the Ocean Protection Council, an agency nested within the California Natural Resources Agency, recommended approving both.
Commissioners unanimously approved the Point Sal designation, highlighting the opportunity to support tribes even as some acknowledged it would affect fishermen.
“I understand how hard it is to lose yet another fishing area,” said Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin. “However, the Chumash people were displaced, their lands taken, forced slavery missions, all of those things. They have earned the right to manage this area.”
The commission split 3-2 on the area near Carpinteria. The votes were part of a broader, multiyear process to evaluate and potentially make changes to California’s network of marine protected areas. Formed in 2012, it is intended to “protect the diversity and abundance of marine life, the habitats they depend on and the integrity of marine ecosystems,” according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
While the state is on track to meet its goal of conserving 30% of its land by 2030, it’s lagging in its efforts to conserve 30% of its coastal waters.
Since Gov. Gavin Newsom established the “30×30” initiative in 2020, virtually all of the increase in protected waters has come from a single marine sanctuary created by the federal government in 2024.
As of June, California had conserved 27.1% of its land and 21.9% of its coastal waters, according to the state’s latest progress report.
The new designations “are an important step forward” for the effort, said Sandy Aylesworth, director of the Pacific Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which co-sponsored both petitions. The Environmental Defense Center co-sponsored the Mishopshno petition.
The new designations make the “network more connected,” Aylesworth added, “something that is important as the impacts of climate change threaten ocean health.”
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