Share a Respect for Shore

A telling indicator of the fragility of our marine shoreline is the revelation that those who love the tidal pools in Little Corona del Mar are loving them to death.

Little Corona has lost perhaps as much as half the number of starfish, octopuses and other marine species that it had a decade ago because of the intrusion of visitor traffic.

A coalition of researchers, environmentalists, teachers and others is so concerned that it is lobbying to arrest the deterioration of the area. Six teachers at a Newport Beach elementary school have declared a boycott of the area for their classes, preferring instead to divert them to the Long Beach Aquarium.

The rush to local tidal sites shows how much value has been placed in recent years on the public attractions of the marine environment. Indicators are the popularity of whale-watching cruises and the crowds at Long Beach Aquarium and other marine attractions.

On any weekend, youngsters and their parents gather around the outdoor tidal pool at the Scripps Institute in La Jolla. Oil spills like the one off Huntington Beach in 1990 have increased public awareness. All of this attention no doubt is good for people’s understanding. But the rush to the shoreline also can have unintended consequences. A high volume of visitors can be bad for the health of the coastal area. We learn, for example, that activity around rock beds loosens the protein strands holding surrounding mussels together. This suggests how everything is tied to everything else in an intricate web of life in the marine environment.

A few good solutions are in the works. Newport Beach is developing a plan for managing the area. Another good idea is having signs along the way to direct visitors on how to proceed more alertly and gingerly. Controlling the manner in which access to the shoreline is achieved can be a help. It is worth guiding both the careful observers and the bulls through nature’s china shop.

But some further education may be needed to change the attitudes of the careless visitor. One teacher notes that some youngsters are destroying crabs on purpose. An ounce of prevention by educating visitors before they go on site can go a long way.

Respect for the environment can be cultivated at home and in the school. Parents certainly can help by encouraging a respectful attitude toward our fragile marine environment. This can be either leaving the marine life alone or developing the habit of cleaning up on visits to the beach. Ensuring that the shoreline is respected and preserved for future generations is everybody’s business.