VENTURA COUNTY ROUNDUP : Countywide : Senate OKs Bill to Protect Marine Life
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Moving to halt the decline of fish stocks along the California coast, the state Senate passed a bill Thursday to overhaul a patchwork of ocean reserves that for the first time establishes as a key strategy fishing-exclusion zones to protect marine life.
The Marine Life Protection Act is the most significant ocean-protection bill to come out of the Legislature this year. Sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco), the bill commits California to setting aside diverse ocean habitats, from deep canyons to sandy flats to rocky reefs, in a coordinated network of reserves.
Supporters say this would benefit scientific research, keep part of the ocean pristine and create fish refuges to function as nurseries to repopulate surrounding waters depleted by over-harvesting. As of late Thursday, the bill was awaiting final approval in the Assembly before being sent to Gov. Gray Davis.
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