Lay of the Land

Canada Fights Global Warming | Homer at the Helm | Fuel Economy Decline | W Watch | San Joaquin Valley Air Quality | California Marine Reserve | Bold Strokes| For the Record | Green Elephants | Loggers Against Logging | Sprawl | Little Chips, Big Impact | Updates

Ocean’s 175

The one that got away will have plenty of company, thanks to California’s decision to create a system of marine reserves off its shores. Sport and commercial fishing is now banned in 175 square miles of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, a move that biologists hope will shore up plummeting stocks of once-plentiful species such as rockfish, abalone, lobster, and squid. While the sanctuary encompasses nearly 1,500 square miles of ocean surrounding Channel Islands National Park, until recently very little of it was off-limits to fishing. When federal agencies complete their part of the reserve plan, 25 percent of Channel Islands waters will be "no take" areas, making it the largest marine reserve in the continental United States.