A recreational fishing group wants the Marine Fisheries Commission to ban a device some commercial fishermen use to catch shrimp.
Gurnal Scott: The device is called an 'otter trawl' but it's not what you think. It's a net used to sweep the ocean floor to catch shrimp. Joe Albea with the Coastal Fisheries Reform Group says those traps kill small fish
Joe Albea: There is gear that can harvest the shrimp. We just have to do what the other states and the Gulf and Florida have done. They've regulated some of that gear off their beaches.
There are commercial fishermen who disagree with Albea. They say the damage is minimal at best. The Marine Fisheries Commission will hold public hearings on the matter. Commission member Louis Daniel says after that..the commission has a big decision to make.
Louis Daniel: Where do I draw the line at where is the problem that merits closing a fishery down.
Daniel says hearing directly from those whose lives are affected will guide their decision.
