10 arrested in Florida for illegally netting 500 pounds of fish

Authorities in Florida have charged 10 suspects for illegally using monofilament gill nets to capture and kill more than 500 pounds of fish, including sharks.

All 10 suspects are from Atlanta, Ga. They were arrested and charged recently after being found in possession of four gill nets spanning 1,600 feet at the Skyway Bridge North Rest Area in St. Petersburg.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced details of the bust Thursday.

The suspects were identified as Marcos Lopez Navarrete (27), Ernesto Lopez Navarrete (35), Roberto Gonzalez Lopez (41), Carlos Lopez Santana (18), Fredy Lopez Navarrete (38), Fredy Lopez Reyez (18), Rafael Castro Herrera (40), Daniel Reyez Valente (26), Efren Lopez Navarette (43) and Lorenzo Lopez Navarette (40).

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Each suspect was charged with a third-degree felony for use of illegal gill nets. The men also were charged with first- and second-degree misdemeanor violations pertaining to the illegal capture of various species, including permit, black drum, snook, blue crab, trout, sharks, and sheepshead.

The maximum penalty for a third-degree felony is five years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine. The maximum penalty for a first-degree misdemeanor charge is one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Second-degree misdemeanor charges carry a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.

Monofilament gill nets, which are invisible underwater, kill indiscriminately by trapping fish by the gills. The nets, suspended underwater via floats, also pose substantial threats to marine mammals, endangered sea turtles, and diving birds.

The FWC said that the amount of netting seized as evidence spanned “more than four-and-a-half football fields.”

The arrests occurred after a period of surveillance following an anonymous tip.

Monofilament gill nets were banned in Florida in 1995.