June E Newsletter 2021

From the Helm
To all our valued members,

MRA is gearing up for our 49th annual educational conference. This year will be joined by California Association of Harbor Masters and Port Captains, welcome. I encourage our attendees to take advantage of the early registration discount by July 31st, and register right away. June 30, 2021 was the last day for exhibitor early registration and we have already filled over half the booths. The conference will be held from 11th to the 13th of October at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in beautiful San Diego California.

Your MRA board of directors has worked very hard to put together a top notch educational conference. I encourage you to go to the MRA web page at marina.org to see the lineup of events, speakers and seminars.

Our last Board of Directors meeting was the last one for two of your directors, Mark Sandoval and Ty Olsen. I want to personally thank them for the many years they put into your association. My understanding is Mark will be joining us for golf on the first day of the conference. If you see Mark, please thank him for all of the work he has done on behalf of MRA.

Please register and take advantage of the discount.

Sincerely,
Scott Robertson
President

Division of Boating and Waterways Offers Boating Infrastructure Grants for Marina Operators
_________________________________

The Division of Boating and Waterways is now accepting applications through August 2, 2021, from public and private marina owners for Federal Boating Infrastructure (BIG) Grants. For 2022, a total of $14 million is available for BIG projects nationally.

Funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, BIG is a competitive program open to both publicly and privately owned marinas to renovate or construct visitor docks, restrooms, gangways and dockside utility hook-ups for transient recreational boats 26 feet or greater in length.

Through the BIG Program, grant recipients can:

• Enhance access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources.
• Strengthen community ties to water’s edge and economic benefits.
• Promote public/private partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Provide continuity of public access to the shore.
• Promote awareness of transient boating opportunities.

Interested applicants should first review the federal guidelines and application instructions to determine if they meet the necessary requirements. Grants are available to qualifying projects on a competitive basis. The USFWS ranks and scores grant requests according to need, access, cost efficiency, matching funds, and innovations that improve user access to the waterways.

The Division of Boating and Waterways, as the pass-through entity for the grant application process, reviews each application and sends the most eligible projects to the USFWS to compete against applicants from other states and territories. If awarded a USFWS grant, the division will manage the project through completion to ensure it meets federal requirements.

Marina operators eligible to compete in this program should contact Deborah Holmes at Deborah.Holmes@parks.ca.gov or (916) 327-1822.

BIG funds assist marina operators with construction or renovation of facilities used by transient recreational vessels 26’ or longer. Top: San Pedro Public Market. Bottom: Newport Beach Central Avenue Public Dock. Photos from Division of Boating and Waterways.

California State Parks and the recreational programs supported by its divisions of Boating and Waterways,
Historic Preservation and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provide the opportunity for families, friends, and communities to connect. Off-highway motor vehicle recreation, boating activities, horseback riding, cycling,
hiking, camping, rock climbing, tours, hikes, school group enrichment, and special events are just some of the activities enjoyed in 280 park units organized into 21 field districts throughout the state. Learn more at www.parks.ca.gov.

State Regulations Could Sink Family - Owned Sportfishing Boats
____________________________________

As California’s sportfishing and ocean industry is recovering from the economic consequences of the global pandemic, the Newsom Administration has proposed regulations to reduce emissions from diesel engines on harbor craft vessels by January 2023. Not only will the regulations come at great cost to all harbor crafts,  they completely disregard the lack of existing technology and economic feasibility for sportfishing and whale watching boats. And then, there are a host of safety concerns that remain unresolved.

A Cal Maritime study, commissioned by California Air Resources Board (CARB),  concluded that the cleaner engines mandated for sportfishing boats do not exist and that the added mass and weight of modified engines would significantly impact a boat’s stability. Rather than consider an alternative approach that provides greater flexibility at lower costs, as granted to a similar vessel category, the Newsom administration has maintained its course.

So, come November of this year, an 11-member board hand selected by the Governor and State Legislature, will vote on proposed regulation that requires sportfishing boats to reconstruct their hulls to accommodate new and highly modified engines. As a result, passenger loads will have to be reduced as much as 40% to account for engines larger in mass and weight.

Increasing costs and lower revenue spells economic ruin. In fact, a survey of boat owners concluded that if the regulations are adopted, within 3-6 years many of them will be out of business. Many can’t afford the modifications or to purchase new boats when the hulls can’t be structurally modified economically or safely. Making matters worse, trying to finance a new boat becomes unattainable when existing boats with non-compliant engines will have little to no resale value in California.

And then there are unresolved safety concerns beyond removing and rebuilding the hulls.  CARB wants the engines equipped with diesel particulate filters (DPF).  DPFs can be found in trucks and farm equipment that typically run at high rotations per minute (rpms), so that exhaust systems don’t get plugged. This is not an option for fishing boats that troll for fish at low rpms. DPF blockage is quite common and when it occurs it creates significant heat and severe back pressure on engines, sometimes taking hours to clear and restart engines. Under the best-case scenario boats could be adrift for hours as crews try to recover systems. More likely, at sea rescues would become common due to engine failure.

In response, California’s sportfishing and boating industry is challenging proposed regulations that in practice will deny millions of California families, school children and tourists their only access to recreational marine fishing, and other ocean activities. We are particularly pleased that the Marine Recreation Association was among our earliest supporters, recognizing the economic value of hundreds of sportfishing and whale watching boats found in most marinas all the way from San Diego to the Oregon border.

If businesses or customers in your marina would like to help, we have launched an online petition asking Governor Newsom to protect sportfishing. Go to www.savefishing.com and download the “Angler Petition” and display it at your place of business With your support, we will demonstrate the economic and political strength of businesses dependent on access to the open ocean.

Ken Franke, President
Sportfishing Association of California

Sport Fish Restoration, Recreational Boating Safety, and Wildlife Restoration Act Adapts to the Future
____________________________________

A bill introduced on June 10, 2021 provides critical funding for conservation, fisheries research, habitat restoration, and recreational boating access and safety also offers new provisions to help meet the future needs of anglers and boaters. The Sport Fish Restoration, Recreational Boating Safety, and Wildlife Restoration Act (H.R. 3702) aims to reauthorize the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Fund, one of the most successful “user pay – public benefits” federal funding programs that relies on excise taxes paid on fishing and boating equipment as well as motorboat fuel taxes to support angling and boating programs.

Of several new provisions to the bill, the first is an effort to address the derelict vessel challenge which also includes the promotion of boat recycling programs. The second is to examine the growing use of nonmotorized vessels on all types of waterway access and the resultant user conflicts and potential for increased boating accidents and fatalities.

The bill also gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service more flexibility to effectively administer the Sport Fish Restoration fund programs, such as the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program that grows the availability of safe and protected harborage for transient boaters.

The nation’s advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boat owners, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), thanks bill sponsor Rep. Debbie Dingel (D-MI) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) for introducing the legislation, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) for the companion bill S.1995. The legislation is anticipated to be incorporated into a larger transportation bill.

“H.R. 3702 builds on many years of success,” said BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy. “It continues to support infrastructure grants, the Clean Vessel Act, and U.S. Coast Guard and local boating safety programs. However, it also addresses some new challenges we face as more folks head to the water, such as what to do with end-of-life-cycle recreational vessels and how to equitably fund waterway access points. We look forward to its passage.”

Since its enactment in 1950, the Trust Fund has provided more than $38 billion in funding for state-based conservation programs, recreational boating access and safety, aquatic resources education, and fisheries management and restoration.

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
Celebrating more than 50 years, BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with more than 800,000 members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We are The Boat Owners Auto Club and help ensure a roadside trailer breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins. When boats break down on the water, TowBoatUS brings them safely back to the launch ramp or dock, 24/7. BoatUS offers GEICO boat insurance policies that give boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and superior service they need. We help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.

Construction Corner
___________________________________

Bellingham Marine Oceanside Harbor: J-Dock Replacement

Along Southern California’s scenic coastline lies Oceanside, the only harbor located between Orange County and the City of San Diego. The Harbor is well known for aquatic activities such as deep-sea fishing, whale watching tours, boat rentals, sandy beaches, and surfing. Alongside these attractions, Oceanside Harbor features a charming fishing village that is reminiscent of the architecture of Cape Cod, featuring a lighthouse, quaint boutiques, and local restaurants. The harbor was constructed in the 1960s and boasts a total of 950 slips. Aside from a partial renovation in the 1980s, it has remained relatively unchanged until the past year.

Of the 42 docks within the harbor, the J Dock is one of the largest and oldest original docks, consisting of 52 slips ranging from 32 to 55 lineal feet. Three decades of exposure to ocean saltwater and heat had taken their toll on the original structures and as a result the dock had reached the end of its useful life necessitating a replacement. In April 2019, the Oceanside City Council awarded the J Dock replacement contract to Bellingham Marine, bringing the project full circle as the original dock systems were designed and built by Bellingham Marine in the early 1980s.

The first of two sequential phases of construction began in February 2021, and three months later the project was complete. The original dock was demolished, removed, and replaced without substantially altering the slip sizing, layout, or configuration. As a condition of the awarded contract, Bellingham was required to maintain 50% occupancy during both phases of the project, and this was achieved by implementing a comprehensive slip transition plan that provided temporary water and power to boaters during the construction.   Along with the total replacement of J Dock, Bellingham Marine installed a new 80-foot gangway that is fully ADA compliant and meets or exceeds all federal guidelines for marina accessibility.

The construction was completed in May 2021 and was opened at full capacity to its 52 slip holders in time for the busy Memorial Day weekend.