The LA Times has some good coverage of the large debate around the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. They even get a quote from the Avalon institution known as Dr Bill:
But Bill Bushing, a marine ecologist who has been diving off Catalina for 40 years, believes reserves are the only hope of saving critical habitats and bringing back the kind of 400-pounders that made scales creak a century ago. “The marine protection area selection process has become so tainted by politics and self-interests that it is losing sight of its original goal,” said Bushing, who has proposed five no-fishing zones at Catalina. “That is to bring marine ecosystems back to life by setting aside a network of protected areas based on the best possible science. “It’s not reserves that will ruin local economies,” he added, “it’s overfishing.”