April 4, 2000

To: 
Julie Morris, Chair FWC
Jamie Adams, Vice Chair
Barbara Barsh
Quinton Hedgepeth
Hersey Huffman
David Meehan
Tony Moss
Edwin Roberts
John Rood

Madam Chairman and Commissioners:

We did not get an opportunity to hand you the Resolutions and various tarp net support documents during the FWC Meeting on Friday March 31^st at the National Guard Armory here in Tallahassee. Please find them enclosed.

The support in Northwest Florida and in many other parts of Florida and other states for tarp net caught fish is overwhelming. The support for saving existing jobs was shown by the more than 150 affected workers who sat quietly with dignity during the brief time allowed for discussion of an issue so important to them and their families. I must observe there was not even one catcall or out of line remark made by all those who spent 5 hours on a bus and whose livelihoods are on the line. I was very proud of them for their non-aggressive behavior.

To show some of the support for the tarp net, I include for you and others the following:

• City of Destin Continuing Resolutions and current support, March 30, 2000
• Letter from 100 Destin Charter Boats, Destin, March 21, 2000
• Letter of support from DESTIN Marina, March 30, 2000
• Letter of support Harbor Walk Marina, March 30, 2000
• 30 individually signed letters from Charter Boat Captain, 3/30/00
• Resolution from Gulf County adopted March 28^th, 2000
• Resolution from the City of Port St. Joe, March 21^st, 2000
• Letter from NAACP in support
• Letter from Great Bellhaven Bait & Seafood, NC (1000’s of anglers)
• Letter from Williams Bait and Tackle, Miami who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Marquardt Marina, Mexico Beach who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Key Largo Fisheries, Marathon who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Sigma International, St. Petersburg who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Scipio Creek Marina, Apalachicola who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Smith Outdoors, Orange Bch, Ala. who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Phillips Seafood, Townsend,GA. who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from RMS Marine Supply, Crawfordville who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Jug’s Seafood, Theriot, LA who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Bryant Product, Bayou La Batre who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Fisherman’s Headquarters. St. George who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Dauphin Island Bait, Dauphin Island, AL who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Cape Point Bait Co., Beaufort, NC. who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Fulton Fish Co., Atlantic Beach who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from Williams Seafood, Pensacola who serves 1000’s of anglers.
• Letter from From Raffield Fisheries indicating distribution of products and job losses.
• 104 individually signed letters, many from anglers in Northwest Florida
• 176 individually signed letters from people supporting tarp nets.

These documents of support were gathered in a very short time frame and are only a small example of the wide range of support for the tarp net and the products produced therefrom.

We strongly believe the fishing industry has not yet been afforded adequate due process. When Dewey Destin, Reddin Bronson and I drove to the FWC meeting in Jacksonville on February 4^th, we drove there under the impression that Russell Nelson would be presenting a report to the Commissioners. From that report FWC would schedule an action agenda item for the next FWC meeting which we thought would be in Tallahassee. As you may recall, you gave 3 minutes for Mr. Destin, 3 minutes for Mr. Bronson and 6 minutes for me as I represent Southeastern Fisheries Association, a statewide association. Twelve minutes is not adequate due process on an issue with over 400 jobs at stake in a geographical area where 400 jobs are rather critical, particularly to those who will lose them. It seemed to us that the decision you were about to make was cut and dried and that our testimony meant very little.

We appreciate you devoting some additional time on the tarp net at your March 31^st meeting and we thank you for allowing Senator Charles Clary to discuss this issue with the Commission.  After hearing Senator Clary’s very thoughtful presentation and listening to the remarks of several of the Commissioners, we respectfully request that you place tarp nets on the Agenda for your Pensacola meeting in May if the situation hasn’t been addressed or resolved by then.

Sincerely yours,

Bob Jones
Executive Director