Sunday, February 10, 2019

Florida Land-Based Shark Fishing - New Rules!

Source - simply disgusting, and nope, NOAA does not condone any of that shit! Click for detail.

Oh well.

Behold: here are the proposed rules, presentation here.
I did ask, are they gonna be good enough and the short answer is, not really, but at least there is progress.

My principal grievance?
Anglers will continue to be allowed to kill those Great Hammers by fighting them to exhaustion - reminder here. And then in the draft rules I also find this (emphasis in cursive is mine)
(d) A person who catches a prohibited species while fishing from shore must release such prohibited species immediately at the site of capture, without unnecessary harm. Delaying the release of a prohibited species for any period of time longer than necessary to remove the hook or other fishing tackle is prohibited. The permissible temporary possession provisions provided for by 68B-2.002(2), F.A.C., do not apply to prohibited species.

(e) A person may not remove a prohibited species from Florida Waters. The gills of a prohibited species must remain submerged and the entire length of the organism must remain in the water. This subparagraph shall not be construed to prohibit temporarily lifting the head of a prohibited species from the water in order to speed removal of a hook or other fishing tackle or to require unsafe practices while fishing from shore.
That stupid exemption is a huge loophole.
The anglers are already exulting as it effectively cements the status quo by leaving the determination on whether a practice is safe to them, meaning that as long as they cite safety aspects, they will be able to continue dragging the Sharks ashore in total impunity "in order to remove the hook or other fishing tackle".
Case in point, these pronouncements by Jorgensen - and thank you David for stating the obvious, i.e. that the much better solution is to leave the bloody hook in = bloody cut the fucking line, and this ideally immediately upon positive identification!

Not gonna happen alas.
The commission will be meeting on February 20 and barring a miracle, those will be the new rules - and if so, the wanton and completely unnecessary killing of endangered and protected species will continue basically unabated.

So, yes, congrats to everyone involved.
This is certainly a remarkable victory - but methinks that you have merely won a battle and not the war = when it comes to those poor GHH, the obnoxious saga is most likely not over.
But I've been wrong before, so here's to that!

Oh, and  incidentally.
Bravo Jimmy et al for the victory in the fight about the Blue Heron Bridge where the prohibition will be sanctioned at the same commission meeting!
Well done, I'm really impressed!

And finally Bravo Kim.
Without you none of this would have happened.
You know who you are!

To be continued no doubt!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

At the final vote meeting, we got the Commissioner’s to add the language “cut the line” to the regulations at the eleventh hour, everything was approved. Could not have been more perfect!
Wonderful day, I could not be happier. Two years of hard work and we got to see such great results!
Kim in Florida!