Fishing restrictions largely obeyed at marine sanctuaries

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Mike Sutton, left, head of the California Fish and Game Commission, pilots a single engine aircraft over the Port of Los Angeles on his way to Southern California’s Marine Protected Areas around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Point Dume. Flying with him is Ana Luisa Ahern of environmental group Heal the Bay. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Point Dume juts into the Pacific Ocean north of Malibu. The coastal waters off the point are among Southern California’s Marine Protected Areas. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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California Fish and Game Commission President Mike Sutton pilots a single engine plane over the Marine Protected Areas around the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Point Dume. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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The 1999 Marine Life Protection Act was aimed at curbing steep declines in fish and other sea creatures along the California coast, including Point Dume near Malibu. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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The coastal waters around Malibu Lagoon are included in the marine sanctuaries protected by the state. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Restrictions of fishing apply to several areas off the Southern California coast, including the Palos Verdes Peninsula south of Redondo Beach. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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The coastal waters off Point Vicente, left, and Terranea Hotel and Resort, right, are part of the Southern California Marine Protected Areas. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A visitor to the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes looks out to sea in hopes of spotting migrating California gray whales in waters that are part of Southern California’s Marine Protected Areas. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By Tony Barboza

Jan. 27, 2014 6 AM PT

Compliance with restrictions on fishing at marine sanctuaries off the coast of Southern California appears to be high two years after the reserves were created.

The Marine Protected Areas bar or limit fishing in 50 zones spanning 15% of state waters from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border. They took effect in the state’s busiest region in 2012, with some favored fishing spots remaining open and others placed almost entirely off-limits to promote marine life conservation.

Recreational fishermen who fought their lost access have suffered a series of defeats in court.

After spending more than $1.3 million on legal challenges, the United Anglers of Southern California say they are running out of money and are close to giving up. “We’re still fighting, but we’re probably going to end up losing,” said John Riordan, the group’s treasurer.

Wardens last year issued about 145 citations for violations of Southern California’s marine protected areas — a fraction of the roughly 4,000 tickets issued for various violations across the eight-county district encompassing the sanctuaries, said Dan Sforza, an assistant chief of enforcement for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The high compliance level is consistent with findings by environmental groups conducting boat-, land- and airplane-based surveys of activity in the marine sanctuaries through a program called MPA Watch.

If the sanctuaries work as designed, ultimately there will be more fish to catch, experts say. Over time, the reserves should help depleted species like rockfish and spiny lobster bounce back, giving them space to grow bigger and more abundant.

Marine life could spread beyond the protected zones in a “spillover effect,” making more fish available to anglers.

“We’d like to see that effect, but it remains to be seen” said Riordan, of the United Anglers, a recreational fisherman based in Dana Point Harbor.

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tony.barboza@latimes.com