Outdoors

FWC vice-chair seeks rule fixes

By TERRY TOMALIN
Published December 26, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG - This year, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission member David Meehan went fishing in Boca Grande Pass hoping to better understand the ongoing battle between artificial-lure anglers and live-bait fishermen.

Instead, Meehan found himself in the center of controversy after he was was photographed aboard a boat that had too many fishing lines in the water.

Meehan admitted his mistake, and everybody, including state law enforcement officers, said new rules designed to pacify the two parties were confusing at best. But Meehan learned a valuable lesson.

"User conflict ... ," he said. "That is the single greatest issue we face as we try to manage our state's resources.

"It doesn't matter if you are talking about recreational fishermen versus commercial fishermen, or guys who hunt deer with dogs versus the guys who sit in tree stands, there is always some sort of conflict between the user groups. It is our job to sort these things out."

Meehan, 57, an insurance executive from St. Petersburg, was recently named vice-chairman of the seven-member commission. A Florida State graduate who served aboard a U.S. Navy submarine during the Vietnam War, Meehan was appointed to the commission in 1999 by Gov. Jeb Bush.

"At the time the state had just merged the two agencies (freshwater & wildlife with saltwater) to form the new Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission," he said. "The agencies had different philosophies. It took us a while to sort things out."

Meehan served as chairman of the FWC in 2001.

When looking to 2005, Meehan said he hopes the state will settle the manatee issue. "We spent far too much time talking about manatees this year," Meehan said. "I'm hoping that things will settle down and we can move on to some other issues."

Meehan's pet project is law enforcement. He has fought to get more officers on the water and is particularly proud of increased minority involvement.

"Our top officer is a woman," he said. "Our academy class that just graduated was the most ethnically diverse in the agency's history."

The 41-member class, which finished the 28-week course in November, had four African-Americans (one chosen as class leader), two Hispanics and five females.

The FWC has about 700 law enforcement officers, Meehan said.

"Those officers have to patrol 35-million acres of woods and 8,400 miles of coastline," he said. "If you break that down it comes out to 50,000 acres and 12 miles of coastline. They are spread pretty thin."

Meehan said he hopes 2005 sees an increase in officers on the water and in citizen involvement against poaching.

Meehan, an avid angler and hunter, said the commission is well aware of the amount of illegal netting that goes on, especially in urban areas.

"That is why we need the good guys, the responsible sportsmen, to help us keep an eye out for the bad guys," Meehan said.

He said has tried to bring a businessman's perspective to the FWC as a board member.

"Just like everybody else, we have had to learn how to do more with less," he said.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the FWC has had to help the U.S. Coast Guard and local law enforcement agencies with Homeland Security.

"That's a great burden," he said. "But it has to be done."

But in all, Meehan said he is optimistic and thinks '05 will be a landmark year for the FWC.

"We have a great group of people," he said. "I expect them to do great things."

[Last modified December 25, 2004, 23:09:18]