SACRAMENTO – AB 1296, authored by Assemblymember Patty Berg (D-Eureka), was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis this week. This makes California the first state in the nation to enact permanent protection for krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature that is an important food source for most marine life including salmon, whales and sea birds.

“This bill makes permanent the state’s current ban on the harvesting of krill,” said Berg. “For the first time, the state has explicit authority to protect krill in federal waters if the federal government does not enact a plan for protecting this vital part of the marine food chain.”

“If we’re going to protect our oceans, fisheries, people and communities that depend on them; we have to take an ecosystem approach. Assemblymember Berg’s bill is intended to address a critical part of the ocean ecosystem by giving krill permanent protection,” said Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association (PCFFA) President Pietro Parravano, a Half Moon Bay commercial fisherman and member of the Pew Oceans Commission. The Pew Commission recently released its report, the first comprehensive review of U.S. ocean policy in 30 years, calling for an ecosystem approach to managing oceans.

The PCFFA, a commercial fishing organization, was the sponsor of AB 1296. They were concerned that a potential fishery on krill could threaten important fish stocks and other sea life that feed on these tiny crustaceans. The bill was also supported by fishing and conservation groups, such as the Ocean Conservancy, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Institute for Fisheries Resources.