Comment from Capt. David Bacon

In my considerable experience (I serve on the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council), NOAA Sanctuaries always supports efforts and proposals to create or expand no-fishing zones such as Marine Protected Areas. By these actions, NOAA Sanctuaries turns its back on its number 1 onsite constituency... fishers (both recreational and commercial). Ther may be no current agenda items related to no-fishing zones at the time that boundary expansion is being considered, but it is certain that such agenda items will come up in the future and NOAA Sanctuaries has an unwavering history of ignoring fishers during battles over closing areas to fishing. Because of this I recommend AGAINST EXPANSION.