TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proposing new fishing regulations at the Skyway Fishing Pier to better protect pelicans and other sea birds.
Thousands of birds every year are injured or killed after becoming entangled in fishing gear. Kim Begay with Friends of the Pelicans said they help rescue thousands of birds every year.
"We see hooks by the eyes. One of the most common things we see is line wrapped around and around the wing, and it cuts into the leading flight ligament," said Kim Begay with Friends of the Pelicans.
Commissioners discussed proposed changes, including establishing an education requirement for anglers, prohibiting the use of fishing rigs with multiple hooks from Nov. 1 to March 31, and prohibiting the use of sabiki rigs year-round within a portion of South Skyway Pier.
The meeting was held on Tuesday in Jacksonville.
Nearly 200,000 guests visit the Skyway Fishing Pier every year. The North Pier and South Pier span over two miles into Tampa Bay and are unique due to their length and height. A sharp increase in visitation happened in 2020, and it led to further increases in seabird entanglement at the pier, according to FWC.
"We feel the sabiki rigs need to be banned 12 months out of the year. It’s very important, so many birds drown. Two pelicans get tangled together with sabiki, commonly, and they struggle. They get too far off the pier and we can’t get them with a cast net unless we can enlist a kind boater nearby with our bullhorn," said Begay.
No decisions were finalized on Tuesday. Commissioners discussed the proposed rules and decided to continue the discussion at a later commissioner meeting.
The seven commissioners could vote to finalize the rules at a meeting in July.
