Imaginary Fences in the Ocean

Father and son with lobster traps aboard the Merlin

"It's been a weak start so far," said the captain of the Merlin, about the lobster season this year. He was pulling up a cage with 5 good sized lobster. He conceded: "Although today is looking more promising."

Seasonal closures are a costly limitation for fishermen, but they allow the lobster population to strengthen. They are accepted and well-regulated.  However, there is a new rule in the game: marine protected areas (MPAs).

The Pygmy Mammoth doesn't like fences, but understands they make good neighbors.

Check out the map: the Marine Protected Area is the red rectangle extending from the south-east corner of the island. There is no fishing in this area.  Naturally, fishermen hate this. As a sailor, if someone told me I'm not allowed in some rectangle of coast, I would also be quite upset.  That is what fishermen are experiencing. 

Marine ecologists, however, tell us that MPAs are essential. Government policy has followed suit, and now there are lines in the ocean, shown by GPS coordinates. They are like imaginargy fences, where some or no fishing is allowed. 

Kelp bed south of the main anchorage, with Arch Point in the background

Later in the day, Chris and I paddled the tandem kayak from the main anchorage towards a nice kelp bed. We dove with our hawaiian slings, and came up with 2 perch and 1 fat sheepshead. Needless to say, we were outside of the reserve!  

After we gutted and scaled them, the fish turned into ceviche, a risotto, and a barbecue fillet dinner. It is good to be close to the source of our food, and get the atavistic feeling of a hunter-gatherer. That is a feeling that is vanishing from our world. Lobster fishermen like the captain of the Merlin are some of the last hunter-gatherers, living in the wild ocean to bring seafood to our plates. 

Sutil Island, on the right, is an rugged islet on the south-west corner of Santa Barbara Island

Sitting in Aldebaran, I looked south and imagined a fence running along the ocean with virtual "No Fishing" signs along it.  

Fences -- like seasonal closures and MPAs -- are unwelcome constraints for the free spirited fishermen. As management techniques, none are perfect. But they are attempts to keep seafood on our plates (and a life in the ocean) into the future.