Fish barge is on Newport agenda

Harbor Commission will discuss mooring permit; group would be required to keep sea lions away.The Newport Beach Harbor Commission is expected to discuss a proposal Wednesday to grant a new mooring permit for a barge used to raise fish in Newport Harbor.

Any decision the Harbor Commission makes Wednesday will not be final. The body will only be able to make a recommendation to the City Council on whether to issue a mooring permit.

Mooring permits do not usually require a decision by the City Council. Harbor Commissioner Ralph Rodheim said the matter should go before the council since some residents have recently voiced objections to the barge.

“I think we’ll need to [go to the council] because of the volatility,” he said.

In September, the Harbor Commission voted to suspend the barge’s permit after residents raised concerns over the facility’s appearance and the possibility that sea lions could use the barge as a basking spot.

The barge, moored east of the Balboa Pavilion, is used by the Pacific Fisheries Enhancement Foundation to raise white sea bass. The foundation is affiliated with the Newport Beach-based Balboa Angling Club.

The proposal for a new mooring permit comes attached with 12 conditions that were drafted by the city’s Harbor Resources Division. Under those provisions, the permit would need to be renewed annually and conditions could be changed each year.

The proposed conditions would require barge operators to meet various maintenance requirements. The permit could be revoked if sea lions use the barge as a resting spot or if large amounts of bird feces are observed on it. The proposal also requires barge operators to keep a weekly maintenance log.

Alex Samios, president of the Pacific Fisheries Enhancement Foundation, declined to comment on the conditions because he did not see them until Monday afternoon. Rodheim said Monday that he hoped residents and barge operators would agree to the conditions.

If the Harbor Commission votes to recommend a new permit for the barge, it could also propose to move the facility closer to the Balboa Angling Club’s headquarters, which is between the Balboa Pavilion and the barge’s current location.

“We love that spot. We were excited to hear that,” Samios said.

The commission is also scheduled to return to the sea lion issue Wednesday. At the same September meeting when commissioners voted to suspend the barge’s mooring permit, the body voted to recommend to the council a set of anti-sea lion ordinances.

The ordinances were designed to discourage sea lions from lounging around the harbor by denying food and resting places to the animals. The new laws would make it illegal to feed the animals or to dispose of fish parts in the harbor. Boat owners who are unable to prevent sea lions from boarding vessels could receive fines.

Rodheim and Harbor Resources Supervisor Chris Miller said the sea lion proposals were going back to the Harbor Commission as a formality. The proposed ordinances have been revised since September, and a new vote would allow harbor commissioners to send the proposals to the City Council in their final form.

If the ordinances are adopted, Rodheim said the question of whether they deter sea lions will be answered over time.

“You’re going to have to ask the sea lions,” Rodheim said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be reached at (714) 966-4624.