Earth Day
Today marks the thirty-third observance of Earth
Day. Historically, the day showcases events
designed to increase awareness of environmental
issues. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day in
1970 to thrust such issues into the political
arena, where they had long been ignored. Great
strides have been made since then. It thus seems a
natural opportunity to publicize an environmental
issue I only recently caught wind of.
The California State Senate, in their usual
infinite wisdom, is considering a
measure—SB281—that would virtually
eliminate every single marine reserve in
California, at least with regard to recreational
fishing. Specifically, the bill, if passed, would
allow "rod and reel" fishing anywhere in California
waters. Yes, that means you could cast out a line
in La Jolla Cove, Monterey Bay or any other
currently protected area.
The logic behind this bill is classic flawed
reasoning, so common in politics, where politicians
will say just about anything, no matter how absurd,
to get a bill signed into law. The argument goes,
since it cannot be proven that rod and reel fishing
is the cause of the depletion of many species of
fish in California waters, it should not be banned
anywhere. This makes as much sense as legalizing
narcotics because it cannot be proven that their
sale and distribution causes crime. Recreational
fishing is surely not the only cause, nor is it the
primary cause, of the depletion of fish species,
but obviously one depletes the fish stock by at
least one animal by casting in a line and hauling
up a fish.
What makes it obvious that this bill simply
caters to special interests is its limitation to
"rod and reel" fishing. Under the bill,
spearfishing by snorkelers and scuba divers would
still be prohibited in marine reserves. If there's
no threat to animal species from recreational
fishing by rod and reel, what's wrong with
recreational fishing by spear gun or Hawaiian
sling?
I'm not an activist, so I won't urge you to
contact your state senator. If you feel strongly
enough about the issue—one way or the
other—after researching it, by all means do
so. I just felt the need to get the word out before
I start getting tangled in anglers' monofilament
line as I scuba dive through the beautiful kelp
forests and reefs of the state's marine
reserves.
[Editor's Note: I just found out that the
Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildlife
voted down this bill 3-6 today (interesting
timing), so in the end I have written about
nothing—not that that has ever stopped
me.]
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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What is "The Daily Strick"?
I have long called
myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
my resolution to make a positive change in
at least one area of my life. Every single
day of this new year, I will write
something, anything, and post it here. It
is my intention to use this daily exercise
to jump-start my too-long-dormant creative
energies, and perhaps generate some
worthwhile material this year. Hopefully
you will find at least an occasional
amusement or insight in my daily
musings.
Today's
Column
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Previously...
4/21:
Joshua
Tree, Part III
4/20:
Joshua
Tree, Part II
4/19:
Joshua
Tree, Part I
4/18:
Royal
Flush
4/17:
A
Long Strange Trip
4/16:
A
New Line to Back
4/15:
Still
Writing
4/14:
Conspiracy
Theory
4/13:
Los
Coronados
4/12:
Y2K
in Y2K3
4/11:
Slow
Glass
4/10:
Freedom
of Speech
4/9:
Why
We're Fighting
4/8:
Eucalyptus
Memories
4/7:
Sleep
4/6:
Writing,
Just Not Here
4/5:
Sci-Files
Trivia
4/4:
Sobering
Up
4/3:
Great
White Hope
4/2:
Entropy
4/1:
Peace
on Earth
Previous months in
The
Archive
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