At a two-day meeting that ended Wednesday in Ventura, state officials and representatives from fishing groups and universities in Southern California grappled with how best to create a network of Marine Protected Areas along California's 1,100-mile coastline.

Ultimately the combined group will make recommendations on the size and location of Marine Protected Areas in Southern California to the state Fish and Game Commission. Other groups are meeting or have met to consider protections in other regions.

The state already has more than 40 of these areas — some that date back as far as 1957 — that restrict the kinds of fishing and other activities allowed.

This process is meant to re-examine those areas to see if they are in the right location and of the right size to protect the fish and ocean habitat.

In a separate process, 10 Marine Protected Areas were set up around the Channel Islands in 2003 and expanded again in 2007.

The decision to set aside those areas was criticized by some scientists, who argued they were not big enough, and by fishermen, who said the limits were putting them out of business.

The areas represent about 20 percent of the fishing grounds of the islands. Studies since they were created have found the areas are more abundant with fish.

The intent of this process — which was triggered by the Marine Life Protection Act — is to find the optimal size and location for these protected areas so that they protect a wide variety of habitats and fish as well as work together.

During a short public comment period Wednesday, Ventura commercial fisherman Chris Hoeflinger said new restrictions could be devastating for the fishing industry. Hoeflinger worried that the process primed fishermen to push for minimum protections and scientists to do the opposite and shoot for the maximum size for protected areas.

"We should be asking ourselves ‘Where's the middle ground?' and work toward that," Hoeflinger said.

Other fishermen stressed that the effect on their livelihoods has to be taken into account with any new restrictions.

Part of the work that is being done by another group, the Scientific Advisory Team, is to outline the best size and location for these zones.

Some of that work has been done in part by looking at what's been happening in the Marine Protected Areas around the Channel Islands.

The preferable size is 18 to 36 square miles, according to a state scientist at the meeting.

The minimum size is about 9 square miles. And those areas should be within 30 to 60 miles of each other, the scientist said.

Samantha Murray, of the San Francisco-based group Ocean Conservancy, said work already completed in that area of California showed it was possible to work some of these issues out. She also said success depends in part on creating a "core of reserves" that have the optimal level of protections.

For more information on the process and on Marine Protected Areas, go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/index.asp.