I'm glad they got caught!
Blake
FWC ARRESTS 4, SEIZES 4,000 POUNDS OF FISH IN FELONY BUST
Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) "netted" a big one. The FWC arrested four men for gill-netting in state waters and seized approximately 48,000 square feet in monofilament entangling nets and 4,000 pounds of fish.
The case was made as officers worked a net detail early Friday morning, March 20, in Caxambas Pass, in the waters off Collier County. Officers observed two boats (running without navigation lights) working together, pulling illegal nets full of fish. Officers stopped the two boats and found approximately 2 tons of ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano, spotted seatrout, bonnethead shark and blacktip shark. Some of the fish were still alive in the gill nets.
Carey S. Arthur, DOB 01/25/71, of Naples; Daryl G. Ankney, DOB 08/30/82, of Bonita Springs; Kirkwood J. Smith, DOB 06/21/67, of Naples; and Scott J. Mobley, DOB 01/8/75, of Ruskin are facing felony charges. The men were booked into the Collier County jail.
"These nets don't discriminate; they can entangle any species, and are very damaging to our resource," FWC Capt. Alfredo Escanio said. "We hope this sends a message to the fishing community that we are out there, protecting the state's marine life."
The FWC sold the seized fish to a fish house. The proceeds are being kept in escrow, pending the outcome of the case.
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I'm glad they got caught!
Blake
The heck with jail give these guys to the legal fisher folk of the state and let them get their punishment from them!!!!!!!
fatman
That was going on one of the local lake near where I live. The state had survey nets out before the spawning season checking for the walleyes. They would check them about every 3 or 4 days. These guys, who were locals, would go out before the state checked the nets and remove all the keeper fish.
Stupid things are legal here. I hate gill nets. Woe be unto the ones
I happen to hook and it's loose enough I can pull it up...
Shoals Area Crappie Association
When I lived near Corpus and they finally got after the gill netters you wouldn't believe how much better the fishing got. It was only a short time before there was fish every where.
Same thing happened in Sabine Lake after that and the fishing there has never been as good as it is.
Skip
Hope they get the max.
Hal-le-lu-ya! Hope to read some follow-up on this one.
Hot Dog!!! Hang "em High!!