Gill Nets are Back??

[DaveR]

[Rik]

We have definitely not heard the last of it. The gill netters got further in this legal case then any of the others they've tried over the years. That judge's order is stayed, not overturned. Still plenty of court and legal work to go on this.

[ChrisR]

..and I think the fact she overturned a constitutional amendment over a FAC rule will piss off the higher court because it sets a very bad precedent (not to mention it is ass backwards - IMHO). She should have just said you can't enforce the FAC because it conflicts with the amendment. She went nuclear instead, which to me indicates an agenda.

This is what I can't wrap my head around. How is it that a constiutional amendment can be ignored because a lesser rule doesn't exactly agree with it? Shouldn't the lesser rule be ignored until it can be made to agree with, or the people vote to change the constitution again?

[sfurman]

ChrisR, you would think.

Yes she was not duped, she is part of the problem and with our judges and lawyers getting more and more liberal I would expect to see more of this, in fact I am surprised the extremely liberal media hasn’t jumped all over this with all kinds of sob stories of the poor netters just out trying to make an honest living.

This is not the end by any means but, the recreational fisherman has become very complacent over the years. We cannot let our guard down or, in the blink of an eye, it will be gone. Fishing in FL is great and many people just don’t see the need to get involved. The net ban was almost 20 years ago and most 20 and many 30 somethings don’t really know how it was and how it could be again if we are not careful. Get involved, join CCA today, quit making up excuses!

[sfurman]

The fact of the matter is, that the nets that the netters have been using are in fact illegal, if they are entangling the fish in the mesh. They are using the wrong gear for the type of fishing they are doing. They either need to use a smaller mesh net or use a net that has a heavier twine gage. They need to use gear that does not entangle the fish in the mesh, doing so breaks the law and they should be stopped and fined for doing so. They are using the wrong tool for the job.

Somehow, these people are claiming ignorance to the fact that they are using the wrong gear and they are getting away with it, they are claiming that it is not their fault the fish are getting gilled when in fact it is entirely their fault and I believe they are going it on purpose in order to prove a point. To me it is a charade that they are playing, don’t be fooled, they need to stop using the illegal gear they are currently using and downsize the mesh to ½ inch or use a correctly made seine net. They are in fact breaking the law.

[Mark R]

Yes she was not duped, she is part of the problem and with our judges and lawyers getting more and more liberal I would expect to see more of this, in fact I am surprised the extremely liberal media hasn’t jumped all over this with all kinds of sob stories of the poor netters just out trying to make an honest living.

Steve. while I agree with you mostly here, labeling it a "Liberal" thing is wrong. If anything I would think the "bunny huggers" would be all over this for environmental reasons. Save the mullet, save the mullet, to heck with the guy trying to make a living. That's how it usually works.
Before you get all uppity on this I DO NOT want the gill net ban to go away, it should be upheld. I think the Judge overreached.
Still I was raised here and know people that this was all they knew for making a living. Never got very far ahead, mostly just made ends meet. I'm not sure that there shouldn't be some mechanism for them to continue there heritage. Don't know.
It sure made a huge difference in the fish population when it was implemented.

[Rik]

labeling it a "Liberal" thing is wrong.

It's Bush's fault.

Their gill netting heritage stopped 20 years ago. I realize it was a tough, maybe even cruel, blow but they kinda did it to themselves. They over fished and weren't very good stewards of non targeted fish. Besides, there was a lot of money spent to help those guys get on their feet in another line of work. At what point is it fair to say "get over it, it's done"?

[Mark R]

labeling it a "Liberal" thing is wrong.

It's Bush's fault.

Their gill netting heritage stopped 20 years ago. I realize it was a tough, maybe even cruel, blow but they kinda did it to themselves. They over fished and weren't very good stewards of non targeted fish. Besides, there was a lot of money spent to help those guys get on their feet in another line of work. At what point is it fair to say "get over it, it's done"?

Maybe 20 years ago.
Yes it is Bush's fault! But then everything is....unless it's Ob.....not going there.
Most of the guys I know did get over it, they went off shore. But then they were small time netters, not the big corporate boats that really did the damage. The worst were the bait or anchovy netters, purse seine.

[sfurman]

Uppity? Me?, never. I am referring to the bleeding heart liberals that feel everyone that has some sort of sob story should get some sort of handout, some have called me a liberal on environmental issues.

They were given every chance to change and I agree some good people got hurt and it wasn’t necessarily their fault, the outlaws were going after everything they could and had no regard for the laws or the resource. It was a free for all and there was little enforcement and when there was, it was a token fine. The net ban was a last resort and we don’t need gill nets back in our waters, the netters have proven they can do without.

[TerryW]

It can be fixed by a rule change. It is a slow process but not nearly as slow nor as expensive as a constitutional amendment. And surfman was quite incorrect to label the judge's decision as "liberal." Quite the contrary.

[Mark R]

Uppity? Me?, never. I am referring to the bleeding heart liberals that feel everyone that has some sort of sob story should get some sort of handout, some have called me a liberal on environmental issues.

They were given every chance to change and I agree some good people got hurt and it wasn’t necessarily their fault, the outlaws were going after everything they could and had no regard for the laws or the resource. It was a free for all and there was little enforcement and when there was, it was a token fine. The net ban was a last resort and we don’t need gill nets back in our waters, the netters have proven they can do without.

Agreed.....welll, other than anyone ever calling you "Liberal".

[Edward]

At the time there was a net buy back plan with millions in payout and that was riddled with fraud where the funding ran dry and the State had to put up more cash. They the fisherman were bringing in retired nets and adapting other nets to classify as gill, etc. and stuck us with the tab on their way out. It's been 20 years, the tradition is long gone.

[TerryW]

Nice article in the local Anna Maria Island paper HERE. "she thinks that the judge could be distantly related to the Cortez Fulford clan, although no relationship has been established."

[sfurman]

Take my money and give it to those that don’t work. The people that support that kind of mantra call themselves liberal but, you are right not really very liberal at all.

The netters then came back and bought the nets back for pennies on the dollar from the people that were supposed to be recycling them and went poaching with them. The fines were basically nothing if you got caught, CCA was successful in getting the use of such gear a 3rd degree felony.

[Mark R]

The netters then came back and bought the nets back for pennies on the dollar from the people that were supposed to be recycling them and went poaching with them. The fines were basically nothing if you got caught, CCA was successful in getting the use of such gear a 3rd degree felony.

Yea I read about a bunch of that up in the panhandle.

[sfurman]

Has everyone signed the petition, thanks for posting that by the way Terry.