A proposal to expand one of San Diego’s 11 marine protected areas would make it the largest in the county, and could help wildlife off Point Loma thrive. But miles gained would be miles lost to some local fishermen.
Two environmental groups want to expand Cabrillo State Marine Reserve from less than half a square mile to nearly 16, extending it westward and northward to an area of Sunset Cliffs.
The reason? Kelp, long a chief concern of scientists, fishermen and other ocean-goers.
Like underwater rainforests, kelp forests support hundreds of species that live within and above them and depend on their oxygen. They’re needed for a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem and are believed to help mitigate climate change, but they have been vanishing along the California coast.
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People explore Cabrillo National Monument where the tide pools appear when the tide is low enough on Thursday, July 18, 2024 in San Diego, CA. The tide pools are a part of the Cabrillo State Marine Reserve which is currently .39 square miles. There is a petition to expand the marine protected area by 15.2 square miles, making it the largest in the county. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Scientists aren’t sure of the precise reasons they’re disappearing, and the trends vary along the coast. Climate change is believed to be a factor — kelp flourishes in cooler water. The loss of predator species can throw the kelp forests’ ecosystems out of balance, and threaten its survival. And pollution can act as fertilizer and feed algae, which then sucks up oxygen and blocks the light kelp needs to grow.
Marine protected areas were established over 10 years ago as an effort to preserve ocean ecosystems and revive waters exhausted from overfishing. A patchwork of them now protect 16 percent of California’s coastal waters.
Kenny Javons, a deckhand, right, helps Peter Halmay put on a wetsuit before he dives for purple sea urchins that he will give to universities for research on Monday, July 22, 2024 in San Diego, CA.(Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Today, fish in the protected areas are larger and more plentiful, and kelp is more resilient and healthier, a state review of the marine protected areas’ first decade found early last year, echoing findings by other researchers.
But that review also asked for public input on whether more protections were needed, or if anything needed to be changed. California’s networks of protected areas are young, and there’s still a lot to be determined, said Kara Gonzales, a state environmental scientist. “There’s room for things to change,” she said.
Twenty petitions for adjustments to protected areas statewide were submitted in response, among them the one for Cabrillo. The state has just begun discussing them and will continue this month.
Some local fishermen question whether there’s a need for the protections at all, much less expanded ones.
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Peter Halmay has been diving since the 1970s and leads a local group that advocates for commercial fishermen. He sells regularly to a few restaurants and every Saturday at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, which he helped start a decade ago.
Kenny Javons, a deckhand, waits on board while Peter Halmay dives for purple sea urchins. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
If the nearby waters closed, he says he’d have to head further out to sea, ultimately causing more pollution. “If you harvest close by, you do some good,” he said.
Halmay has 20,000 dives under his belt, and over the decades, he’s seen the underwater ecosystem shift from struggling to flourishing and back again — changes he suggests may be due in part to natural cycles.
As a diver, “I am the miner’s canary,” spotting changes on the seafloor “way before anybody sees,” he says.
He’s skeptical that marine protections make much difference, or will yield a “perfect balance of nature.” “Nature is very messy,” he adds.
‘One of the best tools’
To environmental advocates, the state review’s findings on the protected areas’ successes is a key reason to expand them. They say that could help the state meet its goal, set by the governor in 2020, of conserving 30 percent of the state’s land and coastal waters by 2030 — part of a global movement known as 30×30.
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Environmental California asked scientists from all over what they believe are the greatest threats to coastal waters and marine life, said Laura Deehan, the group’s state director. Time and time again, she said, the response was the dwindling of kelp forests.
A healthy kelp bed grows at Sunset Cliffs on Thursday, July 18, 2024 in San Diego, CA. The area would be included in a proposal to expand Cabrillo State Marine Reserve by 15.2 square miles, making it the largest in the county. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nur Arafeh-Dalmau, a postdoctoral researcher at Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University, has been studying kelp forests off Southern California and Baja California for five years.
Relying on decades worth of satellite imagery of canopy-forming kelp, his research, along with other scientists, has identified where kelp has remained constant, despite climate change and other human impacts — findings that helped inform the environmental groups’ recommendations for where to expand protections.
Just 8.4 percent of the persistent giant kelp off the Southern California coast was protected, Arafeh-Dalmau and other scientists found in a study published in 2021.
“We recommended that we need higher levels of this highly persistent kelp, because they have many attributes that are important for the ecosystem,” he said.
Arafeh-Dalmau’s research looks at exploring and understanding the ecosystem as a whole, not just a single species. He’s found that inside Southern California’s marine protected areas, kelp has survived more because there has been an intact food web.
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When an area is overfished, key predators like sheepshead and spiny lobster can be decimated — and in their absence, populations of species like purple sea urchins explode, devouring the kelp and sometimes leaving an area barren, he said.
That’s been happening off the coast of Baja California. Something similar has been happening off northern California, where disease afflicting another key predator, the sea star, has allowed purple urchin populations to deplete the kelp. Marine protections can help it and those predator species recover.
Red sea urchins on Thursday, July 11, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“We know marine protected areas are working,” Deehan said. “And so this is one of the best tools we have as the growing threat from climate impacts and more pollution are affecting our coastline.”
At the edge of Point Loma, visitors to Cabrillo National Monument traverse the rocky ledges to scout tidepools for barnacles, hermit crabs, anemones, brittle stars and even the occasional octopus. The pools are a part of a state marine reserve — there’s no fishing, and nothing natural can be taken out of the area.
But further just offshore, a healthy canopy of kelp filled with calico bass, sheepshead, and other fish and invertebrates for now remains one of San Diego’s last healthy and fishable large kelp beds — and is now being considered for protection.
‘A good life’
Urchin divers, lobstermen, crabbers and sport fishermen say they depend on such places to stay afloat, and they aren’t sold on the benefits of such protections.
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Dave Rudie helps unload about 400 pounds of red sea urchins he and Shad Catarius harvested earlier in the day on Thursday, July 11, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Dave Rudie and Shad Catarius tow a boat and pull up behind the Morena-area seafood market and wholesaler Catalina Offshore Products to unload about 400 pounds of red sea urchins they harvested that July afternoon off Point Loma.
Rudie grabs a blood-red creature, its spines wiggling, and cracks it open, exposing the five teeth that munch on the sequoias of the sea. He pulls a creamy orange sponge-like sliver from the center — uni — and gulps it down.
“Doesn’t get fresher than that,” he says.
In 1974, while studying marine biology, Rudie read in the Los Angeles Times that people were buying the animals for $0.07 a pound and sensed a business opportunity. He’s been harvesting them ever since.
“It’s created an industry that produces jobs and food, and it’s been a good life for me,” he says.
More than a decade ago, Rudie was part of a state task force that let commercial fishermen weigh in on initial marine protections. Today, he believes there’s no need to expand them.
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Chad Sleger, captain, left, and Fred Huber, co-owner, look at thousands of live anchovies and sardines that will be used as bait on Thursday, June 13, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
If Cabrillo grows as proposed, he and Catarius would lose their primary hunting location. “We would be losing a seafood supply that supplies local consumers and restaurants,” he says.
Rudie has just returned a few days earlier from helping with a kelp restoration project in Northern California, harvesting purple sea urchins as scientists grow kelp on structures.
Southern California’s waters face nothing like the urchin issues further north. But here, Rudie says he helps maintain local urchin populations by harvesting and selling them to sushi bars and other restaurants, as he has for nearly half a century. “Sea urchin divers have taken the role of other predators that are no longer present,” he says.
Fred Huber operates sportfishing boats including the Daily Double. “We kind of compete with SeaWorld and the zoo for the tourist dollar,” he says one morning, on a pit stop at a local bait shop.
He says his business has already been squeezed by other regulatory changes — higher fishing-license fees, a higher minimum wage, rules requiring cleaner boat engines — and that expanding the protected area would cut his fishing options in half.
Chase Carmichael, a deckhand, center, processes the fish that 15 passengers caught during a half day sport fishing trip on the Daily Double that leaves out of San Diego Bay on Thursday, June 13, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
After passing naval ships and submarines, his crew drops anchor about a half mile off the Cabrillo MPA, just off a kelp bed. A deckhand smoking a cigarette tosses scoops of live bait into the water, as seagulls squawk and swoop down to steal a snack as fish swarm to the chum. Within minutes several fish are caught.
“Do we dislodge some kelp occasionally? Absolutely,” he says — but he argues the damage is roughly akin to driving a truck through a field. “There are things that are more extreme, more impactful, than us just being here.”
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As his boat heads back to shore, his passengers spot a seagull with its beak stuck in a small plastic cup — detritus from some unknown human source. He baits it with a handful of fish, then snatches it in a fishing net and slices the cup off with a knife to set it free.
“This idea that we need to close off a certain percentage of the coastline and protect a certain percentage of the coastline — I don’t understand what they’re trying to achieve,” he says. “When you do that, you don’t lessen the pressure that’s being put on the ocean.”
What’s next
The California Fish and Game Commission will ultimately decide on any Cabrillo expansion, along with 19 petitions for other changes to California marine protected areas, including several off San Diego County. It meets this month to begin considering them.
People explore Cabrillo National Monument where the tide pools appear when the tide is low enough on Thursday, July 18, 2024 in San Diego, CA. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Of all those petitions, three would affect five local MPAs — but none as dramatically as the proposal for Cabrillo. The others could change the boundaries of Swami’s State Marine Conservation Area, as well as allow commercial sea urchin harvesting and classification changes for Famosa Slough, San Elijo Lagoon and Batiquitos Lagoon.
Already, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has reviewed the petitions and given the commission recommendations. The commission, which creates the regulations the agency enforces, has begun sorting them by priority — with the less controversial proposals set for discussion first.
“Our job is to really consider these petitions through the lens of multiyear goals,” said Samantha Murray, a commissioner and executive director of a master’s program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “The science and, of course, the needs of local communities as well, along with things like climate resilience, social justice and tribal stewardship.”
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No decisions have yet been made, and public input is still being sought, the commission says. Discussion on more controversial petitions will likely happen in the fall.
The commission next meets Aug. 14 and 15. The public can attend meetings in person or on Zoom and can email beforehand. Details are available at fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2024.
Crabs feed at Cabrillo National Monument on Thursday, July 18, 2024 in San Diego, (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.
The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims
The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.
Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.
No injuries have been reported.
The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.
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Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.
TRENDING
Down — Called up a final time on the last day of the regular season, Campusano balked at the idea that the season did not go the way he wanted. “I had a great season,” he said as he and his teammates packed for the NL Wild Card Series in Chicago. And he did … for Triple-A El Paso. He hit more home runs than ever (25), drove in more runs (95) and finished with a career-high 1.036 OPS, tops among all qualifying Triple-A hitters. The disappointment inferred in the question posed to Campusano was that he was not able to impact the big-league team in any way in 2025, which began with the team choosing to bring in a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel a chance on the opening day roster over a homegrown product. Once billed as the catcher of the future, Campusno did not catch a single game in the majors, nor did he get any hits, although the opportunity to play was sporadic after getting three straight starts as a DH in early May (see stat to note). The Padres even lost back-up catcher Elias Díaz to an oblique injury over the final weekend of the regular season, but Campusano — who played out the string for a Triple-A El Paso team that did not make the playoffs rather than participate in the majors as a September call-up — was added to the postseason roster more as a right-handed bat than a third catcher (Martín Maldonado was also re-added to the team for the playoffs as the defensive back-up to Freddy Fermin). Campusano, of course, was not asked to help the team in either capacity before the Padres were eliminated in three games.
2026 OUTLOOK
Campusano is finally out of minor league options this year, so the Padres will either have to carry him on the roster, trade him or expose him to waivers. He has fans in the organization, but two big-league staffs headed by Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt seemingly lost faith in his ability to catch a game and all the responsibilities that come with that. It remains to be seen what impact the arrival of robo umps will have on how new manager Craig Stammen views Campusano’s ability behind the plate, but he’s been a potent minor league hitter who has yet to truly get on track in the majors beyond the second half of 2023 (.875 OPS, 6 HRs). Campusano has dabbled at first base in recent years in the minors (12 starts total), so perhaps he settles into a role as a second catcher/right-handed DH/first base option to start 2026.
Luis Campusano #15 of the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta #27 walk to the dugout during a practice before the Wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
SAN DIEGO, CA — Two San Diego County eateries were named among the most beautiful restaurants that opened last year in the country.
Carlsbad-based Lilo was ranked No. 4 and La Jolla-based Lucien was ranked No. 9 on Robb Report’s list of the most beautiful new restaurants in the U.S. for 2025.
Lilo, which opened in April, features a multi-course tasting menu served around a 24-seat chef’s counter.
The restaurant, co-owned by Chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, earned a Michelin star just months after opening its doors. The eatery was also the only one in San Diego to land on The New York Times list of the 50 best restaurants in America.
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Lucien, which opened in July, also offers a chef’s tasting menu, with more than a dozen courses. The 30-seat restaurant, is owned and helmed by Northern California native Chef Elijah Arizmendi, along with partners Brian Hung and Melissa Lang.
“I’m very grateful for the recognition from Robb Report,” Arizmendi told Patch. “Lucien is deeply personal to me, and the space was designed as an extension of my philosophy — one centered on intention, hospitality and the joy of sharing something meaningful to others.”
The list spotlights 21 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and other cities across the country. View the full report here.
