Number: 1981-04
WHEREAS, fish traps are a method gaining in popularity for the harvest of reef fishes in waters bordering on the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic ocean; and
WHEREAS, little biological data exist on the effects of traps on fish populations and limited studies indicate that traps are highly effective but indiscriminate method of taking fish, one with the potential of severely depleting fishery resources; and
WHEREAS, territorial sea reef fisheries have been seriously overharvested, and studies indicate that as catch per unit of effort decreases the fish trap fishermen will move their operations and wreak the same havoc on offshore reef population; and
WHEREAS, the Florida legislature has banned the possession and use of fish traps in waters under jurisdiction of the State; and
WHEREAS, regional fisheries management councils, dominated by commercial fishing interests, have recommended that no restrictions be imposed on the use of traps in depths of 100 feet or deeper, thus allowing unlimited numbers of traps and no limit on sizes of the traps;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 26-29, 1981, in Norfolk, Virginia, hereby supports a ban on the use of fish traps in both state and federal waters until reliable and unbiased studies can document the effects of fish traps, particularly on reef populations and on the reefs themselves.