Until now, the Harbor District has been stymied in its desire to shift the trapped sand inside the breakwater to the eroding Surfers Beach area by a policy of the National Marine Sanctuary Program that prohibits “artificial” placement of any material in the waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, whose jurisdiction begins rights outside the breakwater. The Sanctuary does not have permit authority to approve dredging, but it can oppose disposal of dredged material within its jurisdiction, even if the material is clean, uncontaminated, and would otherwise not have negative impacts on sanctuary resources.
Roughly a year ago, surfers from the local community approached the Harbor District to see if something could be done to arrest the erosion of Surfers Beach. The District resumed contact with the Army Corps, which acknowledged the problem and its source and agreed to explore possibilities with the District. The Corps completed an Initial Appraisal in July, 2009, which reviewed the history, identified the issues, considered possibilities, and concluded that the federal government, through the Corps, has an interest in addressing the issues.
The District also approached the Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary, which administers the Monterey Sanctuary’s area off the San Mateo County coast for Monterey, and again raised its concerns. Representatives from the local surfing community also made a plea directly to the Sanctuary Advisory Council. The Farallones Sanctuary indicated its willingness to work with the Army Corps and the Harbor District to see if a demonstration project could be designed that would solve the sand build-up and erosion issues as well as meet the Sanctuary’s needs for marine resource protection, while taking into account implications of sea level rise for such a project. Further, they suggested formation of a working group that would enable the Sanctuary to participate in the process of project design. The District and Corps agreed, and the District then formed a group consisting of representatives of several federal, state, and local agencies, the community, and resource professionals familiar with the technical issues involved.
On Nov. 10, 2009, the Surfers Beach Working Group met for the first time in Princeton. This well-attended public meeting generated spirited discussion and raised a number of questions, all by way of input to the Army Corps for its project development process. (See power point presentation.) The Corps is now lining up its project funding and considering which specific programmatic approach to adopt for the project.
Visiting Chefs at Pillar Point Harbor Another group of restaurant chefs visited Pillar Point Harbor recently
to learn about the fish caught by Pillar Point fishermen that the chefs
cook at their restaurants. The visit, one of a series arranged by the
"As Fresh As It Gets" Program of the San Mateo County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Farm Bureau, aims to bring together County chefs with the growers and
harvesters of the foodstuffs they use at their restaurants. It's all
part of the program's efforts to improve the quality of, and knowledge
about, the farm and seafood products that are grown and consumed by
County businesses and residents.
In addition to the "As Fresh As It Gets" groups, Pillar Point Harbor
hosts others including students from the Culinary Institute of America.
They learn about various species of fish and crab, how they are
harvested, handled, and processed, and also about regulatory,
environmental, and institutional factors that affect fisheries and their
markets.
The Harbor District is preparing to solicit construction bids to widen and improve the sidewalk in front of the commercial building. The widening will enable the lessees to make use of sidewalk area to better serve their customers. The sidewalk itself will be redone, with a boardwalk-like pattern on part and a curving design along the street edge with imbedded features to simulate a beach. The features will reflect several themes relating to fisheries and harbor history.
Harbor Commission Supports Alliance of Communities for
Sustainable Fisheries Service The San Mateo County Harbor
District has adopted a resolution supporting the recently formed Alliance of
Communities For Sustainable Fisheries. The Alliance was formed several
months ago by fishermen from the four harbors that adjoin or lie within the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Pillar Point, Santa Cruz, Moss Landing,
and Monterey. Representatives from the harbors were actively involved with
the fishermen in getting the organization underway. The group was formed
to provide a more vocal and informed voice in the Sanctuary Management Plan
review process now underway for Monterey, Gulf of the Farallones, and Cordell
Bank Sanctuaries, and in federal and state consideration of establishing
marine reserves in which fishing could be prohibited.
Pillar Point fishermen have organized themselves to actively participate
in the Alliance's activities. These include participating in State Department
of Fish and Game hearings regarding Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) implementation,
Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meetings, other meetings with staff of
the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), that oversees
the Sanctuary Program, the recent meeting of the port and harbor advocacy
group, the California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference, in Half Moon
Bay, and in developing information and questions for use in the Sanctuary
review and MLPA processes.
One Johnson Pier