State Fish and Wildlife officers and lifeguards would be allowed to issue tickets to people caught illegally fishing in Marine Protected Areas under a bill introduced Thursday by a San Diego lawmaker.
Offenses that occur in the protected areas — which encompass 16 percent of California’s shoreline, including parts of San Diego County — are misdemeanors, but overburdened prosecutors have not moved ahead on some cases, according to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego.
AB 298 would lead to at least some punishment for violators, since tickets would result in fines, she said.
Her move was cheered by Serge Dedina, a longtime environmentalist and new mayor of Imperial Beach:
@LorenaAD80 Thanks for helping us to crack down on wildlife poachers in our coastal waters of #California with #AB298!!! #MPA #ocean
— Serge Dedina (@sergededina) February 12, 2015
“Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, we’ve too often seen a lack of public resources lead to under-enforcement that encourages poachers to flaunt laws to protect the ocean environment,” Gonzalez said.
“This legislation will give law enforcement an additional tool to hold poachers accountable and better protect California’s marine life and the health of the larger ocean ecosystem.”
Offenders would receive what’s akin to a traffic ticket, so prosecutors can focus on more serious cases, she said.
— City News Service
