Navarre pier ban on shark fishing. Please help!!

I got a reply, it reads as follows:

Dear Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me on this issue. First, let me say that no body in the county is trying to put a ban on shark fishing, regardless of the propaganda being pushed by the rumor mill on the internet. The discussion will be centered on "beaching" of sharks too large to haul over the rail. We had an event Memorial Day in which someone beached a six foot, 130 pound shark at the foot of the Navarre Pier. As you well know, the pier is basically centered on the public swimming area. Being Memorial Day, the water was packed with bathers. As you can imagine, it created quite a stir. We will be addressing the public safety issues relating to beaching a shark too large to haul over the rails. No body is trying to regulate shark fishing in and of itself. We are going to address the public safety issues that come from beaching a shark too large to haul over the rail.

I hope you continue to visit and fish the Navarre Pier, because it is truly one of a kind.

V/r,
Jim

Commissioner Jim Melvin

Great work Mark and a great response from the commisioner clarifying the issue.Sounds fair enough in order to not "scare" the tourist away althoug I believe in 2012 people are more educated as to the true nature of sharks but the old stigma of sharks as blood thirsty maneaters is hard to change in many peoples minds.So the old crew can continue to shark fish mostly at night and when they catch that monster Mako,Tiger ,Hammer or Dusky they will beach it briefly measure it and release it when no one is around to complain and moan about MANEATERS ON THE SAND .Another victory for the shark fishermen of Florida.

Thank you very much commisioner Jim Melvin

The complaint that started it all

Do we really want people catching sharks right by our tourist areas?
 
Unbelievable.  Who is managing the pier?

http://dolphinsanddirtydiapers.blogspot ... beach.html
 
Laurie Gallup
Navarre Properties
8 Gulf Blvd
Navarre Beach  FL  32566
850-936-1
http://www.navarrelistings.com

Reply to complaint

From: Jim Melvin [mailto:jimmelvin32583@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 7:04 AM
To: Hunter Walker
Subject: Fwd: Shark Pic

Hunter, we need to put this on the agenda for our next meeting. Shark fishing from our public pier can not be tolerated!!
Jim
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Santa Rosa Administrative Offices
6495 Caroline Street, Suite M
Milton, Florida  32570-4592
JIM WILLIAMSON, District 1​​​                                      ​    
ROBERT A. “BOB” COLE, District 2​​​                 ​    HUNTER WALKER, County Administrator
W. D. “DON” SALTER, District 3​                                  ANGELA J. JONES, County Attorney
JIM MELVIN, District 4​                JAYNE N. BELL, OMB Director
R. LANE LYNCHARD, District 5​                                                                                                 5555
 
 
 
 
 
M E M O R A N D U M
 
 
TO:       Board of Commissioners    
 
FROM:     Hunter Walker, County Administrator
 
DATE:     June 5, 2012
 
SUBJECT:  Navarre Beach Pier – Shark Fishing
 
Commissioner Melvin received a complaint about shark fishing on Navarre Beach Pier, specifically the walking of a hooked shark by a fisherman until it was over land, proximate to beachgoers adjacent to the Pier. This is commonly referred to as beaching a shark that is too large to gaffe and reel to the Pier.
 
Staff contacted personnel at the Okaloosa County and Pensacola Beach fishing piers and both prohibit chumming for shark and both require that a shark inadvertently hooked by pier fisherman, be immediately released by cutting fishing line. Currently the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier prohibits chumming for shark, but does not prohibit fishermen from landing/gaffing or beaching sharks hooked from Pier.
 
The policy options for the Board appear as follows:
 
- continue status quo (prohibit chumming, but allow shark fishing from Pier).
- continue to allow sharks hooked from Pier to be gaffed and brought onto Pier, but prohibit beaching of shark too large to gaffe.
- prohibit shark fishing from Pier and require fishing lines of inadvertently hooked sharks to be cut.
 
(850-983-1877 Voice ¨  850-983-1856 Fax) ¨ http://www.santarosa.fl.gov
 
There has been several emails in the land based shark fisherman's favor. Let's hope things go well. There are a lot of sharkers here in Navarre who will be at the meeting Monday. I have talked and emailed the commissioners and I came up with a compromise. The compromise as follows: no beaching of sharks during daylight hours from may15 through sept 10. That gets it out of the tourist season. The pier also has a sign that says no swimming within 300'. I hope tthe compromise works. The main complaint is beaching the shark through swimmers. I had preached ethics and respect and knowing when and where and why not. The young man that drug the shark up should have knew better and so had the others that helped. They do now and they understand what I was talking about when I said we are one stupid mistake from being ban. I hope me putting this public info up don't get me in trouble. Oh well if it does.
Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

I just sent my emails....very professional and along the lines that myself and Ernie have discussed.

The below email bothers the hell out of me! As landbased shark fisherman this is the mentality that we are always facing very discouraging!

From: Jim Melvin [mailto:jimmelvin32583@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 7:04 AM
To: Hunter Walker
Subject: Fwd: Shark Pic

Hunter, we need to put this on the agenda for our next meeting. Shark fishing from our public pier can not be tolerated!!
Jim
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

The concern was spurred by this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsOHjfmfMOM

Here it can be seen that the beach-goers and rookie fishermen were rather careless.

Sorry I was a bit late to the table. Made some calls and it seems the dust up isn't quite as bad as it seemed at first. They seem to be in damage control mode when pressed for more specifics, but like has already been written, only FWC and the state can impose any type of "ban" if I understand the laws currently. I would like to point out that a similar ordinance was passed prior to the Texas OBA challenge that we fought. It's similar to to getting their foot in the door and testing the water. I'm not suggesting the Navarre folks are trying to change state law, but they are seeing what they can get away with. If we don't make any noise they will try to get more of the same thing. They did here in Texas and look at what we got. Most piers here will not allow shark anglers to fish them anymore. My apologies for my tardiness on this. Two kids goin' off to college has had me busy to sat the least.

E -polk i sent a email to each of the ppl that u had email address for. hope it works out there for you guys

After watching the video I'm pissed. I can't believe Blake did that with all those people there. No wonder it caused a stink. I hope that stupid shit don't cost us big time. I want to appoligise to everyone for there stupid actions. It wasn't ignorance cause they knew better. I thought I taught them a more politicaly correct way of doing things. If we don't loose our rights we got a lot to talk about. Looks like I'm gona have to explain every bad scenero and spell it out for them. Listen to the little voice in ya head that says "maybe we shouldn't do that".

After watching the video I'm pissed. I can't believe Blake did that with all those people there. No wonder it caused a stink. I hope that stupid shit don't cost us big time. I want to appoligise to everyone for there stupid actions. It wasn't ignorance cause they knew better. I thought I taught them a more politicaly correct way of doing things. If we don't loose our rights we got a lot to talk about. Looks like I'm gona have to explain every bad scenero and spell it out for them. Listen to the little voice in ya head that says "maybe we shouldn't do that".

I had a similar situation up here by me almost two years ago during the day with a nurse shark landed. No swimmers but people wading around for shells etc and a shark brought right past them. Got to stay on top of them I guess so stupid situations don't occur. I feel your pain Ernie.

this is the email I recieved back from Commissioner Salter. Matt,
I do not support the ban. Thanks for your input.

They didn't ban us. The decision will be made final Thursday. They listened to what I had to say along with Kirk ms. Pat and Troy. I purposed that there be no sharks beached dureing daylight hours from may 15 to september 10. All the commissioners liked the plan and suggusted that the fishermen govern themselvs by useing the rule i sugusted. There was atleast 30 fishermen there at the meeting. I think all the emails that was sent had there attention befor we got there. Any one who took time to send an email is partly responsible for the out come. I want to personaly thank every one who helped. I will keep everyone posted on the final out come. Together we stand!!!

The decision is final. No new laws. The fishermen are to govern themselves. The commissioners were very understanding and listened to what I had to say. All the emails is what got there attention. Everyone who sent an email really stood up for our sport. I appreciate everyone who backed us in our battle for the pier. Thanks again. Together we stand!!!

Right on.... Sounds good.