From email:

The latest on the “Haul Seine” Scam

Recreational anglers who have been seeing nets in the water are raising questions about what the nets are, and the answer is far from clear. Even to the casual observer, the nets look and act like gill nets but the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has chosen to call them “haul seines,” which does nothing to solve the puzzle since the term “haul seine” appears nowhere in CMR Regulations or Mississippi state statutes.

Many of today’s anglers may not have been here in the 1990s when the contentious issue of gill nets and their impact on marine resources was hotly debated. In Mississippi, the inshore use of these nets was decimating mullet populations in addition to entangling other sportfish species and bycatch that ran the gamut from porpoises to turtles. After much public outcry over the destructive nature of the nets, and subsequent work by concerned anglers, the Commission on Marine Resources (CMR) adopted a regulation that required the use of only biodegradable materials in gill nets, which did not fully address the problem, but did reduce some of the impact of gill nets that were lost at sea. These “ghost nets” were largely hidden from view, but when constructed of monofilament they do significant damage by continuing to catch and kill marine life for years, even decades.

Since then, there have been occasional incidents of monofilament gill nets being used and a number of these have been cited and prosecuted. The result has been the expansion of the commercial hook-and-line fishery which harvests sportfish (red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder) under quotas, in a relatively clean, targeted manner.

ENFORCE THE REGULATIONS

Last year, anglers began seeing gill nets made of monofilament in use and questioned whether they met current regulations of the CMR or legislation. CCA Mississippi sent a request to the Executive Director of DMR in April that eventually led to a staff presentation and discussion by the commissioners in September 2017 meeting. (Official notes from that meeting may be found here - LINK ). The Department contended that the nets meet the requirements of Title 22, Part 5, of the CMR Regulations because they are “haul seines.” However, haul seines are used in a completely different manner than gill nets, and the nets in question were being used exactly like gill nets. And they were clearly made of monofilament material. While CMR may consider the matter closed, CCA Mississippi is not satisfied that this issue has been resolved.

Today, recreational anglers are still observing the use of monofilament gill nets in sensitive estuary areas, such as the inner harbor/causeway area in Pascagoula and around Cat Island. Regulations do limit commercial fishing in some areas, such as within a distance of one mile from Cat Island and other areas from May 15 to September 15 each year. However, there are photos and videos of these nets being set within the marine grass nearshore areas of Cat Island and similar areas in Pascagoula. And contrary to comments by CMR staff in 2017 that the nets are used to target “underutilized species” not caught by hook-and-line commercial fishermen or under quota, there have been observations of the nets taking spotted seatrout from those areas.

It appears that certain commercial harvesters think they have found a loophole in CMR regulations and are exploiting it to use gill nets made of monofilament, and in areas where the nets are not allowed.

Resolution of this issue falls directly on the CMR and will require instruction to DMR staff to enforce the guidelines set in the 1990s that define any net functioning as a gill net be composed of biodegradable materials. The controversy over where any nets can be set to avoid destruction of marine grasses also needs clarification and enforcement.

CCA Mississippi is willing to work with CMR to address obvious abuses of current regulations, but we are also prepared to explore other options should these abuses be allowed to continue. If legislative action is needed to clearly define what fishing gear is legal and proper for use in Mississippi’s coastal waters and where it can be used, we are confident our members will be eager to lead the charge in the state Legislature.

CCA Mississippi remains committed to ensuring the health and conservation of our marine resources, and anglers’ access to them.

STAY TUNED

This post was edited on 7/9/18 at 12:21 pm