Rocky Point: Will choking Redondo Beach really help a fish?

It appears that the California Central Valley is not the only part of the state where the well-being of a fish species threatens to choke a local (and a portion of the state) economy. Much news has come to light regarding the Delta Smelt issue and its impact on farmers throughout our state. The issue pits environmentalists concerned about the prosperity of a fish species against the state’s agriculture economy and the survival of hundreds of California farmers & produce workers.

But did you know that the South Bay of Southern California has its own “Delta Smelt” issue?

For the South Bay, the issue is the Calico Bass in the portion of the coast known as “Rocky Point”. Rocky Point is roughly located west of Lunada Bay along the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and is heavily relied upon by Redondo Beach, as well as San Pedro (Cabrillo) and Marina Del Rey somewhat, for the viability of the South Bay’s sportfishing industry.

A “Blue Ribbon Task Force” was set up under the California Fish and Game Commission to make specific recommendations to demarcate a network of marine protected areas – underwater parks, essentially, where fishing will be either restricted or outright banned – up and down the coast of the state. It is being drawn under the dictates of a state law called the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) that was enacted a decade ago but is only now being implemented.

According to the local press, Easy Reader, on September 3^rd, the task force is looking long and hard at Rocky Point, and the local fishermen, Redondo Beach business owners, local elected officials, and environmental activists have made Rocky Point one of the hardest-fought battlegrounds in the MLPA process.

I personally discussed this issue with John DeVore, owner of Redondo Sportfishing, and Leslie Page, Property Manager of the Redondo Beach Marina. Both have stated in no uncertain terms that the loss of Rocky Point as a fishery would economically decimate Redondo Beach’s King Harbor, which is one of the few remaining “small-boat” harbors. Though the other South Bay marina’s listed earlier would feel a significant impact with the closure of Rocky Point, no South Bay city stands to lose more of its hard-earned economic viability than my birth-town of Redondo Beach. 

Tom Ford, executive director of Santa Monica Baykeeper, has compared Rocky Point to Yosemite. “It’s of that caliber, absolutely,” Ford said. “And for folks that recreate or hunt underwater, they have seen the splendor that exists under the surface in that location. It is dramatic. It is striking, and equivalent to the experience a hiker has walking around inside Yosemite Valley.” What Mr. Ford does not point out is the economic differences between preserving Yosemite, which has actually boosted the tourism in neighboring towns like Oakhurst and Maricopa, and literally closing Yosemite to every visitor.

How well would the California towns surrounding Yosemite fair if the national park was totally closed to ALL visitors?

I believe this is the more appropriate analogy to closing Rocky Point to sportfishing. Yosemite is an attraction that does much more for both the nation and the state economically by practicing conservation & preservation, as well as limiting hunting in its boundaries as a safety measure for tourists and in the tourists seeing more wildlife during their drive or hike through it. The primary benefit of Rocky Point is the sportfishing attraction, and no single group has a more vested interest in the continued reproductive success of the Calico Bass than the sportfishing industry. The local sportfishing businesses practice a strict tradition of catch-and-releasing larger fish that tend to be the breeder fish. They keep a vigilant watch on the area to report any commercial fishermen violating the area (commercial fishing is illegal in the Rocky Point area). Most importantly, generations of young area students have learned about the importance of the ocean and its need to be clean & free of toxic dumping and litter through excursions with the Redondo Beach sportfishing businesses.

The complete article from the Easy Reader on this issue can be found at this link.

I encourage every South Bay resident and others throughout Los Angeles County, to read the article and weigh in with their opinions about Rocky Point. As the next South Bay State Senator, I will listen to my local residents and businesses, like Leslie Page, John Devore and the Redondo Beach local elected about issues like these and fight special interest groups that are willing to strangle the economic survivability of the South Bay cities that I will have the honor of representing.