Budget Decision Could Hurt Marine Ecology Says Film Maker

A decision to postpone a plan to create marine sanctuaries in California harms more than the fish.

(PRWEB) January 24, 2004 --A proposed shift in environmental policy is devastating" and counterproductive" according to Alan De Herrera, producer and director of the California Sea Lions documentary. I have spent months filming marine life and the potential consequences of these budget decisions are frightening," says De Herrera. Marine ecology is so intertwined that not only fish, but the pinnipeds that feed on them, will be adversely affected."

The danger Mr. De Herrera envisions centers around a decision by the Schwarzenegger administration to postpone a plan to create a network of marine reserves off Californias coast. While research will continue on existing reserves, including a newly established one off the Channel Islands, the original plan is being stalled due to lack of money. Fish arent the only species affected by all of this," says Mr. De Herrera. The pinnipeds that eat the fish will suffer from anything that might allow more commercial fishing."

Pinnipeds-California sea lions, northern elephant seals, northern fur seals, and harbor seals- all breed off the California coast. Mr. De Herrera and his filming crew have spent months in the Channel Islands filming the seals and their sea mammal cousins. The originally intended marine reserves would allow these creatures the food needed to sustain their populations," says Mr. De Herrera. Without protected areas for fish to spawn, commercial fishing will seriously reduce the food supply and the affect on the seal herds will be devastating."

Mr. De Herrera is critical of those fishermen who are advocating the right to fish more aggressively. Fish dont recognize property lines," he explains. Once they mature, the fish will swim out of the marine reserves into deeper water where they could be caught. Harvesting fish close to where they spawn is counterproductive because it means the commercial fishers are eating their seed corn. Theyll get a few large catches in the short run and go bankrupt later as the number of fish drop off radically."

Mr. DeHerrera and his film company, Rio Films, are currently in the pre-production stage of a new documentary, Channel Islands Adventure, which will concentrate on the ecology of the Channel Islands. All of us at Rio Films are excited about this new project," say Mr. DeHerrera. Its the first film done about the Channel Islands, and it will portray the contributions these islands make to global marine ecology."
De Herreras passion for this new project is accentuated by his commitment to educating the public. Information is the key to positive results," he emphatically points out. The more decision makers and the general public know about marine ecology, the more they will appreciate the need for marine reserves to protect the food supplies other wildlife species need to survive."

Mr. De Herrera is available for interviews and can be reached at (714) 401-8610. For more information about Rio Films and its projects, please check the company website at http://www.rioflims.com