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Don't weaken net ban

It is a political plague: Legislators who swear to uphold the Florida Constitution then set about undermining it with laws written for special interests. The most recent example in the Legislature is a bill that would undermine the state constitutional ban on the use of gill nets.

Identical bills filed by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Will Kendrick, D-Carrabelle, would change state law by allowing nets with any size mesh to be used for mullet fishing. Florida voters outlawed such nets in 1994, and there was no mistaking how they felt. The net-ban amendment passed with 72 percent of the vote.

Before that, commercial fishermen used gill nets longer than a football field to scoop up everything in their path. Such overfishing led to depletion of a variety of species and had a negative impact on the marine environment. In their bills (SB 1178 and HB 741), Lawson and Kendrick would allow gill nets and take authority away from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which was established in a constitutional amendment.

One of those who thinks the bills are unconstitutional is Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, and he informed the legislators of that opinion in a letter. He said it was the first time he had issued a constitutional warning about pending legislation.

"Florida is finally seeing positive results through improved marine populations, and this would be the worst possible time to turn back the clock by weakening the net ban," Crist said in a news release.

Respect is something too few legislators have for the duties of public office. These bills should see a quicker death than a fish snagged in a gill net.

[Last modified March 23, 2005, 00:55:18]