ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Some new rules aimed at protecting seabirds will soon be in place for the Skyway Fishing Pier.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission made the final decision to adopt the rules Wednesday during its quarterly meeting in St. Pete. The rules go into effect on October 1st.
It's something bird advocates have been wanting for months.
Each year nearly 2,000 seabirds, many of them pelicans, are injured or killed near the Skyway Pier. Most of them get entangled in fishing lines or hooks. FWC has had several public hearings about this issue in recent months.
In a 3-2 vote, FWC leaders adopted the following changes:
- Educating anglers about the dangers to the birds
- A seasonal ban of sabiki rigs or fishing rigs with more than one hook — from Mid-November to Mid-March
- Limiting anglers to no more than two sets of fishing gear
Bird advocates say these rules don't go far enough to protect the birds. Kim Begay is the vice president of the Clearwater Audobon Society.
"They can't lose sight of the fact that they are required by law to protect the birds under the federal migratory bird treaty act," Begay said. "All of the compromising is great, but the bottom line is it's their responsibility and they need to keep sight of that."
Some anglers like Captain Dylan Hubbard with Hubbard's Marina say making it too restrictive could be a problem.
"People access the fishery out there on this PR for their sustenance," Hubbard said. "And in order to catch those mackerel and kingfish they really need the sabiki rigs, these double rigs, these treble hooks."
Violation of these new rules would be a second-degree misdemeanor, the same as other fishing gear rule violations. FWC said officers will initially be prioritizing an educational approach as they always do with new regulations.
The new rules from FWC staff also recommend that leaders review them within 2 years to see if they've been effective. Then they can consider either expanding or repealing them if needed. The new rules take effect on Oct. 1.