At its February 2024 meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC) referred 20 petitions with over 80 unique requests to amend marine protected area regulations to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for review, evaluation, and recommendation.
The CFGC has approved a 3-phase approach to evaluate the petitions. CDFW has completed Phase 1 of the 3-phase approach and will present the draft proposed binning (sorting) of petitions to the CFGC at the Marine Resources Committee meeting on July 17, 2024 for further discussion.
The CFGC has requested public feedback on the draft proposed binning of petitions. All petitions have been sorted into either Bin 1 (petitions ready to be evaluated in the near-term. Placement in Bin 1 does not guarantee the petition will be approved) or Bin 2 (petitions that require additional policy guidance, information, and/or resources before evaluation).
Feedback on petition binning may be sent directly to the CFGC to inform the discussions scheduled for the July 17 Marine Resources Committee meeting. For written comments to be included in the meeting materials, the CFGC must receive them by July 5. Instructions for how to submit written comments and a schedule of upcoming CFGC meetings can be found on the CFGC website.
The draft Phase 1 document that outlines the proposed binning of petitions includes background information on binning criteria, tables that outline proposed Bin 1 and Bin 2 petitions, and justifications for why petitions are categorized into each bin.
It is anticipated the Marine Resources Committee will make a recommendation on the draft proposed binning for the CFGC’s consideration at their August meeting. Following the CFGC’s approval of petition binning, CDFW will move forward with the evaluation of Bin 1 petitions for subsequent discussion and consideration by the Marine Resources Committee and the CFGC.
post by Sara Worden, CDFW Environmental Scientist
Marine Management News 
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