Pulling my conspiracy theory tinfoil hat down tight..here goes.
The MLPAs that were selected by a political (not scientific) process were designed specifically to shut down the areas closest to the harbors, in order to force the boats to travel father to get on some fish. The goal was to make half-day trips extinct, and hey, if it keeps private boats from fishing, mo' better. The survival of the fish species was just lip service. And like any good conspiracy theorist, I'd urge you to "do your research."
The difference between my outlandish claims and those put forth by flat earthers, cactus-huggers and moon-landing-was-faked folks is this: If you poke around online, you'll find news articles and op-ed supporting my seemingly kooky claim.
Here's my thesis statement: If the MLPA system as implemented was about protecting fish stocks, the survival of the sportboat industry wouldn't depend on fishing inside the bays.
It's very hard to sort the wheat from the chaff...and for an admittedly one-sided viewpoint, here's a place to start.
https://asafishing.org/uploads/CA_Marin ... on_Act.pdf