CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.,None — Federal officials held a hearing Tuesday that fisherman said could drastically limit shrimping off Florida's coast.
Regulators want to extend a restricted area from south of Vero Beach to north of Palm Coast to protect coral reefs.
Fishermen said this could ruin the shrimping industry. There already are fewer shrimping boats pulling in to Port Canaveral every year. If the new restrictions are put in place, the shrimp boats that are left won't be able to sail over the restricted area to deliver their catch.
Ninety-nine percent of the rock shrimp cleaned and cooked at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville comes from off the coast of Cape Canaveral.
Ironically, Laurilee Thompson said her family fought for the first protection measures for the coral reefs off the coast more than 20 years ago.
"We have been fishing there for 45 years and there's no coral where we are dragging. It would tear up our nets. We do not have a problem protecting the coral. It's where rock shrimp are born. It's a spawning ground for rock shrimp," Thompson said.
Shrimpers said they avoid the coral too, because if their nets get caught, they can get torn up or worse.
"If it snags, if it's not handled properly, it can actually flip over and people are at risk," Thompson said.
But the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering the measure under the same federal law that put new restrictions in order to protect the underwater world from overfishing.
The shrimpers said the restrictions go too far and cut into areas known for good harvests.
They add that the proposal won't even allow them to carry the seafood on their boats through the restricted shrimping areas, forcing them to travel hundreds of miles to get around them.
Fishermen said there is no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to bring their catch through the restricted areas.
They are required to have GPS-like devices on their boats, and the government can tell if they are dragging nets or just sailing through.
WFTV
