JMPR Raw Scoping Comments: Back to Scoping


Scoping Meeting Summary
Monterey 6:30 PM

Please note that these are the raw comments extracted from the scoping meeting held at the location listed above. They were edited for the purpose of clarity where necessary. Duplicate comments were not repeted. A synthesis of comments will be available soon.

  • Sanctuary should address overpopulation of pinnipeds, which cause destruction of property, and financial loss to fishermen.
  • Sanctuary should not regulate fishing.
  • Sanctuary should increase outreach to general public.
  • Sanctuary should use more marketing, and should work collaboratively with local businesses, for outreach.
  • Concerned about additional regulations in intertidal habitats, that are not scientifically substantiated.
  • Concerned that the majority of people that should give input are not at the scoping meeting.
  • More monitoring of all types of pollutants.
  • Sanctuary should have monitoring data from all agencies and organizations, on the website.
  • Need more conservation in general.
  • Surfrider has had positive experience working and communicating with the MBNMS.
  • Do not utilize buffer zones.
  • Do not reduce current boundaries.
  • More water quality monitoring, and better access to results by public.
  • More monitoring of runoff from golf courses.
  • Investigate testing of deer for bioaccumulation of pesticides etc.
  • No expansion of boundaries.
  • Do not utilize a marine zoning approach.
  • SAC members should be elected by their constituents, not by the Sanctuary superintendent.
  • Sanctuary should utilize commercial fishermen for collecting data/research
  • Increased monitoring of outflows from rivers, and desalination plants.
  • Evaluate whether Sanctuary needs to be a regulating authority for dredging.
  • More cooperation among agencies regulating dredging.
  • Marine Sanctuary's main job is to protect resources, should increase water quality protection projects.
  • Concerned about repeated sewage spills and quality of water.
  • Sanctuary should work collaboratively with diverse user groups, to reach consensus on issues.
  • Sanctuary should conduct more outreach bring diverse user groups together.
  • Concerned about peregrine falcon populations in Monterey Bay.
  • Include on website, water quality data on various river systems affecting the Sanctuary.
  • Concerned about peregrines feeding on shorebirds, while fishermen are taking the blame.
  • Grateful for Sanctuary, thinks that Staff have done a good job.
  • More community communication is needed.
  • Our goal should be to protect and preserve.
  • Concerned about the impacts of too many kayakers, increase in tourists, and growing population in general. Sanctuary should restrict use to a sustainable level.
  • Concerned about impacts from fisheries.
  • Never allow drilling for oil in the Sanctuary.
  • Need to balance human use with resource protection. Might need to restrict some activities.
  • More education and outreach in general.
  • Greater public access.
  • Regulate gill net fishing.
  • More collaboration with state and local regulatory agencies on sewage discharge.
  • Continue involving State in management plan issues.
  • More regulation of activities that affect water quality.
  • Concerned about water quality of sub-watersheds and Elkhorn Slough.
  • Sanctuary should focus on riparian restoration and protection.
  • Sanctuary should help protect McClusky slough.
  • Harbor dredge spoils should be disposed of at land disposal facilities.
  • Sanctuary should set measurable and defined goals or standards.
  • Concerned about health issues surrounding beach closures.
  • Beach closure information should be made more readily available to the public.
  • Sanctuary should not condone or allow military use (including marine invasion drills
  • State rights more important than federal.
  • Don't take away fireworks on July 4th.
  • Recognize intrinsic values and aesthetics as well as ecological values.
  • Priorities need to be in management plan.
  • Need procedure for evaluating public comments.
  • Oil vessel traffic should only occur outside Sanctuary boundaries.
  • Sanctuary should not regulate fisheries in state waters.
  • Prohibit and research sources of artificial marine noise.
  • Sanctuary should conduct a study on pesticide runoff from agriculture and golf courses.
  • Sanctuary should conduct a study on nutrient runoff.
  • Sanctuary should regulate the use of fertilizer through a permitting system. Should investigate alternatives and mitigation.
  • Permitting process should be more streamlined when permits are required by different agencies.
  • State should regulate, not Sanctuary.
  • Sanctuary should not be involved in enforcement (only state).
  • Sanctuary should prohibit: 1) all non-emergency military flights over Sanctuary wildlife zones, and 2) non-emergency underwater military ops.
  • More Sanctuary enforcement on resource protection issues.
  • More enforcement of Sanctuary regulations.
  • Monitor the activities Monterey Bay Aquarium for fish deaths and extraction.
  • More interaction with the California Coastal Commission.
  • Harbors should continue dumping dredge spoils into designated sites.
  • Improve public access to the Sanctuary.
  • More interpretive displays.
  • Sanctuary should acquire public access lands.
  • No expansion of boundaries.
  • Boundaries should be defined by Ecological data.
  • Sanctuary should not have a regulatory or permitting program, should concentrate only on data collection and dissemination.
  • Management plan changes should be based on sound science and hard data.
  • Reconsider the evaluation process for comments received during the JMPR.
  • Allow public access to all public comments.
  • Public should vote on comments provided during scoping process.
  • Published list of scoping comments should be in a searchable database.
  • Efforts should be focused on a holistic watershed protection approach, emphasizing the connection between land and sea.
  • Sanctuary should be involved in early education (schools) and outreach.
  • Use of precautionary principle for protection of natural phenomenon.
  • Sanctuary should implement Buffer zones around recreational/urban areas.
  • Concerned about DDT in Moss Landing. Should be deposited at hazardous waste site.
  • Sanctuary should require liners on oil tankers.
  • Concerned about high levels of fecal coliform. More money should be made available to address this.
  • Sanctuary should make funds available for water quality monitoring programs.
  • Surfing: water quality affects surfing businesses and is our bread and butter.
  • Surfrider Foundation and surfing industry both support National Marine Sanctuary Program.
  • Only specific vessels that don't impact Sanctuary resources should be allowed, such as hovercraft. Avoid vessels that pollute.
  • Educate the public on why the Sanctuary was created.
  • Expand sanctuary concept to unify and make consistent resource protection, for better management of resources.
  • Increased communication between agencies.
  • Need more money and support for water quality action plans. Currently they are poorly implemented.
  • MBNMS needs more funding.
  • More education among general public, and Sanctuary users.
  • Concerned about senate redistricting plan, the National Marine Sanctuary Program should get involved.
  • Strengthen resource protection; do not allow local control to undermine this.
  • Do not become another layer of bureaucracy in dealing with fishing and dredging. Sanctuary needs to do WQ monitoring in an ongoing program.
  • Encourage more local involvement with Sanctuary.
  • Sanctuary should not endorse marine invasion drills.
  • Concerned about Naval Post Graduate School's missile launching activities.
  • Water quality action plans should be included as part of the updated management plan.
  • Concerned about erosion in public support for the Sanctuary.
  • Sanctuary should concentrate on community relations efforts in order to optimize the education program.
  • Increase outreach to civic organizations, volunteer groups, and local neighborhood establishments.
  • Sanctuary should better promote, package, and distribute accomplished products.
  • Sanctuary should provide advice to city planners on how to address the problems of storm drains, sewage treatment plants.
  • Adhere to language in National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
  • Sanctuary should support the use of environmentally sensitive vessels for transportation.
  • Concerned that no diversity is represented at this scoping meeting.
  • Sanctuary should continue to resist militarization in the area.
  • Sanctuary should allow no automatic exemptions for military.
  • Sanctuary needs to gather baseline data to evaluate status of resources.
  • Focus on educating communities/groups that are not currently involved with the Sanctuary.
  • Sanctuary should serve as a neutral facilitator in issues involving overlapping jurisdictions.
  • Sanctuary should help secure funds for additional water quality monitoring.

For more information contact your local sanctuary office at:

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Sean Morton, Management Plan Coordinator
299 Foam Street
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 647-4217 • Sean.Morton@noaa.gov

Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank
National Marine Sanctuaries
Anne Walton, Management Plan Coordinator
Fort Mason, Building 201
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 561-6622 • Anne.Walton@noaa.gov