A unanimous vote from the California Fish and Game Commission granted new safeguards to roughly 9 square miles of marine habitat off the coast of Guadalupe.
“I understand how hard it is to lose yet another fishing area,” Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin said at the hearing. “However, the Chumash people were displaced. Their lands taken. Forced slavery. Missions. All of those things. They have earned the right to manage this area.”
The Point Sal state marine conservation area was approved in Sacramento on Oct. 15 after input from nearly 70 public commenters. It’s a tribally co-led plan with collaboration from the Northern Chumash Tribal Council during the petition process earlier this year.
Point Sal’s new designation only allows fishing from the shore with a hook and line, as well as accidental take from critical missions at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Families who fish the waters for sustenance and recreation opposed the petition. Multiple kids explained how the restrictions would impact their livelihoods.
“Point Sal has a rocky bottom that makes it a perfect home for rockfish,” a 10-year-old speaker said. “Catching fish is so much fun, and eating fresh fish is awesome. Point Sal is where you go smile, laugh, high-five, and sometimes cry and whine when the fish come off the hook. If you turn it into a [marine protected area], we won’t get to fish there anymore. Please don’t take my fishing spot away.”
Chris Pavone, president of the Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Association, argued that Point Sal is already protected because it’s a far trip and only accessible when weather permits.
“I do know over 100 people whose lives, and tangentially people in the industry, that will be affected by this,” Pavone said at the meeting. “This is one of the last accessible rock bottom points in California. Right now, we only have about three to five places to go fish within distance in our area.”
Commissioner Darius Anderson empathized with the fishers but ultimately approved the petition.
“I do want to be the guy that fights for fishing rights and commercial fishing rights, but in this situation, because of the applicants and the tribe and everybody else, I do support this application,” Anderson said.
Those in favor of conservation said one of the important features of Point Sal is biodiversity. Lion Rock is “very significant piece of geography” for seabirds and marine mammals, marine ecologist Dan Robinette said. He works for Point Blue Conservation Science and has been studying nearshore habitats for more than 30 years.
“I’m here to speak to the science that supports the petition for Point Sal,” Robinette said. “It’s a hot spot for seabird foraging, and the reason for that is it’s a retention area where larvae are not pushed offshore during upwelling.”
Project co-leader Sandy Aylesworth explained that the effort is part of a 40-year-old push to protect the headland.
“While there will never be consensus on any conservation decision, it is remarkable to have the opportunity to link both land and sea conservation efforts and to have it be broadly supported,” Aylesworth said.
Commissioners also agreed that Chumash representatives will help choose a formal name for the marine conservation area inspired by their land and culture.
This article appears in October 22 – October 29, 2026.
