Dear Source:
Gillnet fishing is define as a harmful technique that fishermen practice. In recent articles I found supported detailed to back this matter.
Over the past five years there has been a decline in the amount of sea organism, most of which are located along the reefs. Gillnetting allows fishermen to catch more than what they want. This method allows them to gain an excessive amount of fish and other marine organisms, resulting, a decline in sea life. Gillnet fishing has caused a major depletion of fishes. It has killed thousands of species that get caught in the netting, eventually causing them to suffocate and die.
There are nine fishermen on St. Croix that practices gillnetting. This result as nine times the amount of fishes lost in the ocean than normal. Although the gillnet ban was signed into law, the law has not been enforced. Gillnetting is against federal law, but those nine men continue with their harmful practice.
Gillnet fishing has gotten so out of hand that even divers and snorkelers are that risk for getting caught in the net. In recent articles two divers and a snorkeler almost got trap in the net, and because of that tourist who visits the island and decides to snorkel or dive would fear that they can become bycatches.
When fishermen gillnet they do so to catch certain types of sea species, but the problem is that when using a gillnet anything that passing by can get trap, which includes targeted and non-targeted sea organisms. As a result, the sea life rapidly decreases and there is no sea species to view under water, in which divers and snorkelers wouldn't be of interest anymore, causing a flee of wanted tourists and some islanders.
Gillnetting does not only harm fishes, but also sea plants, other marine organisms, and now humans are at risk (such as divers & snorkelers). Therefore, the gill net ban law needs to be enforced or the ocean as we know it will no longer be; sea life would perish.
Bianca Govan
St. Croix
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