Net Ban enforcement upheld by 1st District Court of Appeal

Earlier this month Florida’s First District Court of Appeal issued an opinion upholding the state’s net ban constitutional amendment.

The ban on gill nets was overwhelmingly approved by Florida voters in 1994.

Under the net ban, Fishermen in Florida are not allowed to use gill nets in state waters or any net that is larger than 500 square feet in inshore or near shore waters.

Though it’s not specifically stated in the constitutional amendment, the state ruled that any net with a mesh larger than 2 inches is a gill net.

Since then commercial fishing groups have been fighting the ban, and fishermen in Wakulla County won a case against the ban late last year when Leon County Judge Jackie Fulford ruled that the manner in which the net ban was being enforced is unfair to mullet fishermen and not in keeping with the intent of the constitutional amendment.

That ruling was overturned on July 7th by the court of appeals.

The decision could still be appealed to the Florida supreme court.

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