Just Pissed off

[Diver Dan]

Ran a heart attack call about 3:30 this morning. Two guys on a mullet boat. We got the guy who was having the M.I. into the ambulance and sent my medic with him to the hospital. While picking up our equipment the other guy was really in a hurry to leave. Checked out the boat and there was a large fish box full of spanish mackeral and bluefish, and probably 50 or more spanish lying around on deck. On the stern was a large net pile covered up by a carpet, so you couldn.t see exactly how much gill net they had. I tried to ask him about it and he took off for the ramp by Madeira Municipal Marina and quickly pulled the boat out. The Sherriff's Office was on scene and I told them about it. Their reply "I don't know a damn thing about it. I could check with my Sgt.". Am I wrong or is the limit 500 square feet of gill net allowed? That's a 10 x50 net. You could proably fit that in a bathtub sized container. These guys had a whole lot more than that. Don't have any idea what other fish they had stashed down in the box. Oh well just wanted to vent. My crew and I were just a little irritated!

[Divin' fool]

Maybe you should have called FMP....Commercials do it because they know they can get away with it and if they get caught, the penalty is nothing.:rolleyes:

[Camp]

Asked a FMP guy about gill nets the other day - there's a big gill net on a boat near our marina. Says the nets are legal in Federal water, so it isn't illegal to possess one. Just can't use it in Florida waters. That wasn't what I thought, but that's the answer I got.

[Diver Dan]

You are right Camp. I talked with FMP and they back you up. I talked witha friend of mine who works for the Pinellas Sherriffs Office and they never did report it to their Sgt., because I found out I know their Sgt., and he confirmed they didn't. Well now he knows. Fair warning poachers they know! I turned over the numbers I took down off the boat to the PCSO Sgt. He's a drinking buddy and I will bust his balls to keep on it. Just pissed me off with everybody giving us so much shit on that other forum about how we rape the oceans as spearfisherman. These assholes had more fish than I could hope to bring back in 50 trips! There now I feel better. Back to see if FSU can whoop on Notre Dame.

[dlock]

way to network DiverDan! Hopefully they can nail a few of them!!!!