Commission approves sea lion rules

The harbor commission voted Wednesday to suspend the mooring permit

for a barge used to raise white sea bass in Newport Harbor.

During the same meeting, the board voted to move forward with new

rules designed to discourage sea lions from living in the harbor. The

commission considered ordinances that would make it illegal to feed

wild animals, such as sea lions and to discard items, especially fish

remains, into the harbor.

Harbor resources supervisor Chris Miller said the commission

favored additional provisions to the rules pertaining to fishing

vessels. Harbor commissioners Tim Collins, Seymour Beek and Ralph

Rodheim are set to meet next week to fine tune the ordinances before

they are considered by the City Council.

The mooring permit was discussed after the sea lion issue. The

barge, moored east of the Balboa Pavilion, is operated by the Pacific

Fisheries Enhancement Foundation and is used as part of a state

program to increase the numbers of white sea bass.

Around Memorial Day, sea lions broke into the barge and created a

noisy problem for harbor residents. Foundation president Alex Samios

said sea lions have not entered the barge since repairs were made in

June. Now, sea lions can climb onto a corner of the barge.

The commission rejected Samios’ plan to fence off that corner and

make some aesthetic improvements in the fall. Some residents have

objected to the facility’s appearance. Wednesday, Collins described

the barge as a rough-looking eyesore.

Collins wants Samios’ group to submit a new proposal for a mooring

permit with conditions related to barge maintenance.

Samios does not believe the barge is related to the broader sea

lion issue and thinks it has become a scapegoat for the animals’

presence. However, Collins views the barge as an attraction to sea

lions.

Samios plans to appeal the commission’s decision to the City

Council. Wednesday, he said he had the impression that harbor

commissioners made up their minds before the meeting and that he did

not believe commissioners’ comments stating that they generally

favored the goals of the sea bass program.

Harbor commission chair John Corrough disputed those notions. He

said he did not decide how to vote before the meeting and reasserted

support for the program.

“There was no one on the commission that was not in support of the

sea bass program, conceptually,” Corrough said.

The barge’s location, Samios said, was chosen because water

conditions at that mooring were well-suited for white sea bass. At

the meeting, Corrough said the commission can’t make a decision based

solely on what is optimal for fish.

“Our charge is much broader [and] has criteria that add human

issues as well,” Corrough said.

In Samios’ eyes, the decision reflects a negative stereotype of

Newport Beach in which “property, real estate and money drive this

city.”

In the future, Collins said he would welcome proposals to move the

barge to Upper Newport Bay or in front of the Balboa Angling Club’s

building near Balboa Pavilion. Samios said he would be willing to

relocate the barge to the latter location, and plans to keep the

barge at its current mooring for the time being. He is concerned the

barge will not return to the harbor if it is forced from its current

mooring.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at

[email protected].