Officials have considered major fishing restrictions in a coastal Florida town, citing safety concerns.
News 6 WKMG reported on the debate occurring in Flagler Beach, a small town south of St. Augustine. The proposed ordinance, which the city commission will hear later this month, would create swimming "safe zones" by banning fishing in certain beach areas within the city. The exact location of those zones has not yet been decided.
City officials say such restrictions are necessary because fishing makes the water unsafe for those who want to swim and surf. But anglers and fishing advocates say the proposed legislation is far too restrictive.
"Most anglers want to be on the beach early, catch their fish, go home. They don't want to deal with the swimmers," Mike Vickers Jr., president of the Flagler County Sport Fishing Club, told News 6.
A more reasonable solution, anglers said, would be to place time restrictions on fishing in those locations, instead of an all-out ban. They also argued that a ban would cause undue harm to local fishing businesses.
"That's the reason we're looking to get some guidance," Vickers told News 6.
Around the globe, governments have started placing tighter restrictions on fishing to ensure the safety of swimmers, marine life, and the environment.
Fishing can be a good hobby to get people outdoors and a responsible way to reduce invasive species populations, but it also comes with a number of harmful side effects.
Fish aren't the only animals put at risk by this practice. Seals, birds, and other wildlife frequently get caught up in improperly disposed of fishing gear. Research shows that fishing lines and nets combine to kill hundreds of thousands of birds each year, while also damaging coral reefs.
Lines, nets, and other fishing gear also create massive amounts of waste in our oceans. A 2022 study found that each year, billions of hooks end up polluting waterways, as does enough fishing line to circle the Earth 18 times.
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