Jet ski fans turn out for marine sanctuary hearing

Fans and businesses using so-called personal watercraft are defending them in hearings on the draft managment plan for national marine sanctuaries on the Central Coast, reports the Monterey Herald.

One of 28 action plans in the management plan includes changing the definition of "personal watercraft" to include not only one- and two-person waterjet-powered machines but larger, multipassenger watercraft, as well.

Personal watercraft users defended their pastime, saying the majority of users are considerate and responsible and that the machines are environmentally friendly.

Kelly Sorenson, owner of On the Beach Surf Shop in Pacific Grove and a volunteer with Pacific Grove Ocean Rescue, spoke for a number of people who told tales of being rescued or rescuing others with personal watercraft.

The plan will extend the limits on chumming for sharks, and regulate discharges from cruise ships and other vessels, prohibit introduction of non-native species, ban taking historic resources, and prohibit deserting vessels. It also proposes action plans for regulating seawalls desalination, harbors and dredge disposal, submerged cables, ecosystem protection, bottom trawling, integrated monitoring and marine protected areas.

The final hearings on the marine sanctuary management plan will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fort Mason Center Firehouse in San Francisco, and Wednesday at the Community United Methodist Church, 777 Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay.