Langley adopts shoreline edicts

"Local ghost shrimpers can just shut off their compressors and air hoses when boating past Langley, because hunting the little creatures in the city's jurisdiction is now a no-no.So is putting a roof over that shrimp boat, if it is parked along Langley's shoreline.Prohibitions against ghost shrimping, covered boat moorage and dredging are some of the most prominent features in a new shoreline management program approved by the Langley City Council this week. On a 4-0 vote Wednesday night, the council validated a shoreline plan written by city planner Jack Lynch and the city's planning advisory board. The program regulates all activities occurring within the city's tidelands and waters, which extend halfway across Saratoga Passage toward Camano Island. The prohibitions on shrimping, covered moorage, and dredging were late additions to the program, coming after a council discussion two weeks ago when Councilmember Dione Murray asked that they be addressed. She received backing from fellow councilmember Neil Colburn, who said covered moorage would be a blight on the city's shoreline.It'd be like building a garage on First Street, he said.Also included in the document is a prohibition against floating homes, and policy language supporting boat owners' rights to live aboard their vessels. Jack Lynch said that policy could change because the state Department of Ecology is currently trying to write a policy banning live-aboards from public harbor facilities. The complete shoreline management program is on file at Langley City Hall."

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