The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1915-04-22
From Letter Addressed the Members the Legislature the
Punta Gorda Fish Dealers

There has been considerable agitation by
protective associations and organizations of this State proposing
your Honorable Body egae upon pass appar
ny for the protection of of the greatest industries of the State
Taking the figures compiled by the organizations that active in
the natter there something like sixty thousand people depending
upon the fish industry for livelihood and the annual from
this source money brought into the Se) amounts to ten million
dollars This money almost entirely from other states The
hsng industry OF FLORIDA also represents an investment IN boats
nets packing houses and fish apparatus of something like six million
dollars Yet these protective organizations bill to stop
fishing stop the bringing into the State Of Florida of ten millions of
dollars annually stop the taxation by town. county and state of six
million dollars worth of taxable property for period of five
We for any such law.
proposed bill each fisherman each and
fishes would like why the fisherman and
9% d tho ro % ay ee ow fish
posed BILL could be claimed migratory fish that
East Coast of Southern Florida and November off the West
Florida and later during the spring off the of Ala
bama Louisiana and Texas The taxation licensing of these fish
would be just sensible licensing farmer his moving
machine or plough and his horse to work his cotton corn or tobacco
and to the state and the county does the fisherman The
proportion capital invested than those engaged other
suit in the state In of these proposed gill nets used
catching taxed five dollars each These
form dollars to fifteen dollars each which makes from thirty
three and one third to fifty cent taxation on the original cost Is
there other industry the State of Florida taxed to that exent
proposed the size of gill nets for mulet to be
three inches stretched material north of latitude 20 degrees North
three and half inches stretched material south of latitude 29
North 1t known here what size mulet the people
north latitude 90 degrees North catch This proposed
have been drawn up by some one who investigating and
measuring the mulet north of this latitude but hardly be that
his latitude From Gasparla Pass Chokooskee distance of
something like hundred and fifty miles, from two to three dis
caught
if this proposed through will cripple the industry
this locality very materially.
that there already the of the State of
Florida laws for the protection of fish than the officers of the
enforce There good many that protection
the industry and in order for the
of fish each fishing locality should be visited by competent
experts and laws made pertaining only to that locality in order
protective for the fish of state 1t impossible
Legislators properly make laws the protection Of the
industry the of Florida unless they have expert advice
each locality where the fishing industry carried Laws
governing the fish in South Florida do all those fish in
part the 1t foolish to make here for
protection of snapper relating snapper vessels
would be foolish the people of ApaachcOa and
arrabee attempt make laws pertaining to the mackere indus
try the lying between Miami and Key West
The of the State Florida and all the fishermen
dependant the fish industry vhOod therefore, they have
Of fish heart and feel that should be
Legislature that sanctioned by the people thus
directly and vitality affected
One argument regard licensing fishermen their boats and
nets is that parts Of Florida deriving benefits
industry of the state Do the people of DeSOto Lee
derive benefit from the production of
cotton and tobacco jefferson coy Do the counties west
of jefferson any benefit from the phosphate mined Hills
borough Polk counties? If the people of the
portions wish the benefit of the fish industry they should
where the fish industry carried
We impoe your Body let the fishermen make
honest living honestly upon them which
are unreasonable which they necessarily will have break
Ter to make living AT present the fishing industry has less graft
and as much industry profession in the State of
florida