While some are dying under crumbling beach bluffs, others are worrying about the freedom to harvest lobster traps off Encinitas. According to Bob Hoffman of the U.S. Marine Fisheries Service, one of the primary reasons Encinitas has been removed from a regional San Diego Association of Governments plan for beach sand replenishment is that the California Lobster and Trap Fishermen Association is balking at sand being placed on Encinitas' beaches. They believe the sand will spread from the beach and smother kelp beds where juvenile rock lobsters like to live. The lack of sand to buffer the impact of waves against the wave energy contributes to the crumbling of the bluffs. This is not a matter of abstract environmentalism.
Less sand means more danger for people.
It could contribute to another death like the one that occurred Jan. 15. The city has been through this several times. One of the definitions of insanity is performing the same action over and over again, expecting new results. So far, there have been no new results. Steve Aceti, executive director of the California Coastal Coalition, all right now.