Ten Atlanta residents have been accused of using illegal gill nets to catch more than 500 pounds of fish and sharks near a major bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to a news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The gill nets — called monofilament entanglement nets — were banned in Florida after voters passed a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, 1995, according to the news release.
The suspects used four gill nets measuring “more than four and a half football fields” at the north end of the Sunshine Skyway Rest Area, according to the FWC news release.
Marcos Lopez Navarrete, 27; Ernesto Lopez Navarrete, 35; Roberto Gonzalez Lopez, 41; Carlos Lopez Santana, 18; Fredy Lopez Navarrete, 38; Fredy Lopez Reyez, 18; Rafael Castro Herrera, 40; Daniel Reyez Valente, 26; Efren Lopez Navarette, 43; and Lorenzo Lopez Navarette, 40, all were charged with the following, according to the FWC:
- One count third-degree felony — use of gill net in state water.
- One count first-degree misdemeanor — major violation pertaining to snook.
- Two counts second-degree misdemeanor — undersized sheepshead.
- 13 counts second-degree misdemeanor — undersized black drum.
- Four counts second-degree misdemeanor — undersized permit.
- Five counts second-degree misdemeanor — illegal method of harvest of snook.
- Five counts second-degree misdemeanor — undersized snook.
- Five counts second-degree misdemeanor — out-of-season snook.
- Three counts second-degree misdemeanor — undersized trout.
- Nine counts second-degree misdemeanor — illegal method of harvest of shark.
- Nine counts second-degree misdemeanor — illegal method of harvest of blue crab.
Use of the nets constitutes a third-degree felony, according to the FWC. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.
“The use of these nets is illegal and harmful to the fish and wildlife that are indiscriminately killed when they become entangled in it."
The maximum penalty for a first-degree misdemeanor is one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, and each second-degree misdemeanor has a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
“This case is a great example of the important work our officers do every day to protect Florida’s natural resources,” Maj. Rob Rowe, the FWC’s southwest regional commander, said in the news release. “The use of these nets is illegal and harmful to the fish and wildlife that are indiscriminately killed when they become entangled in it.”
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