The California Fish and Game Commission voted, 3-0, on Oct. 16 to reject a proposal to expand Laguna Beach’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) south toward Dana Point, leaving the last stretch of the city’s coastline open to fishing.
The Laguna Bluebelt Coalition had sought to extend the existing protected area to cover the remaining 1.32 miles of Laguna Beach coastline, between Table Rock and Three Arch Bay, where recreational and commercial fishing is still allowed.
The vote ends a nearly three-year effort to close the area to fishing, much to the relief of Dana Point’s fishing community, which had opposed the proposal over concerns about losing access to nearby waters…