A group of Florida seine netters claim the maximum 2-inch stretched mesh that the law allows is killing too many baby fish.
Commercial netters are again attempting to circumvent Florida’s ban on entanglement nets, established in 1995. After the implementation of the net ban, a regulation was added to differentiate legal seine nets and illegal gill nets. The regulation restricted seine nets to a mesh size of no larger than two inches. This net surrounds fish and traps them, rather than “gill” the fish in the net meshing.
All nets some sizes of gill fish to some extent, but allowing seiners to fish 3-inch mesh simply opens up a 500-square-foot gill net fishery, and would turn over the landmark decision to ban inshore gill nets in Florida waters, passed by 72 per cent of Florida voters in 1994. Since that 1994 ruling, Coastal Conservation Association Florida has counted numerous attempts by commercial interests to bring back gill nets, mostly under different names. Each time, Florida courts and state agencies have upheld the Article X, Section 16 of the Florida Constitution that reads, “no gill or entangling nets shall be used in any Florida waters."
On Thursday, June 12, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has this issue on the agenda at their Thursday, June 12 meeting. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. at the International Game Fish Association in Dania Beach, Florida. It’s up to concerned recreational fishermen to show up in force and tell FWC commissioners that, in 1994, voters mandated there be no gill nets, of any size, in Florida waters.
If you are a Florida resident angler and cannot attend the FWC meeting, write your FWC commissioners at Commissioners@MyFWC.com. Out-of-state anglers who travel to, and enjoy Florida fishing, should consider writing the FWC commissioners as well just to remind them just how much there dollars means to Florida’s fishing economy.
Update: June 12, 2008
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) rejects Netters’ Ploy to Increase Seine Net Mesh Size
Netters’ angle was that the maximum 2-inch stretched-mesh seines killed too many baby fish.
On June 12, a number of commercial netters lobbied the FWC to circumvent Florida’s ban on entanglement nets, established in 1995. Their contention was that the maximum 2-inch stretched mesh in their 500-square-foot seine nets did not allow baby fish to escape. They sought to get a 3-inch mesh okayed, in essence, gill nets back in Florida waters.
For a little history, after the implementation of the net ban, a regulation was added to differentiate legal seine nets and illegal gill nets. The regulation restricted seine nets to a mesh size of no larger than two inches. (A seine net surrounds fish and traps them, rather than “gill” the fish in the net mesh.) All nets some sizes of gill fish to some extent, but allowing seiners to fish 3-inch mesh simply opens up a 500-square-foot gill net fishery, and would have turned over the landmark decision to ban inshore gill nets in Florida waters, passed by 72 per cent of Florida voters in 1994. Since that 1994 ruling, Coastal Conservation Association Florida has counted numerous attempts by commercial interests to bring back gill nets, mostly under different names. Each time, Florida courts and state agencies have upheld the Article X, Section 16 of the Florida Constitution that reads, “no gill or entangling nets shall be used in any Florida waters."
After hearing testimony from the commercial fishermen, CCA Florida and private recreational fishermen and recreational charter guides, FWC commissioners made it clear that they would not allow for any mesh size increase. That would only lead to litigation and foremost, would be a violation of Florida’s net ban amendment, which specifically prohibits gall and entangling nets.
“We’ve had a supreme court look at this matter,” Commissioner Kenneth Wright said. I’m not prepared, legally, to undo it. Some things need to be final.”
