The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-07-17
Fishermen DfSphassd By
lNew Cragisb Regulation
Protests Are
Planned For
DISCRIMINATION
u liM coRR

MoFe than zoo Monrot
County crawfishermen face
y rough time Of II when The
season opens next Friday a
The result Of a new state Law
making drastic changes Il
tegulationa Tor taking tn.
ruataceans. The fishermen
IRE up IN arms about the sit
NATION which they claim vii
drive 3 lot Of them out O
business, II Il Is enforced.
The chief bone Of conten
Hon seems to be why thu
Law, which has been termed
s'pointless, " was passed II
che first place. No one seemi
% be able to answer thai
question.
The new Law has changed tn
aases tur the annual closed season
Increased the minimum size foi
the iish and made 4 Illegal e
freeze, store Or ship crawlish dur
lna the closed season.
The Law has been termed dis
eviminatory 81 most local fisher
lnen, since Dsde County has e.
e1a being hit due 70 the faci
ehat they claim immunity : because
II population b greater. Flor,
nlnide Dade County, Il
% rx ~ producers, win 3,
=
6rnnorIys ~ law stated That
reN S,ine uould - hanned
nu sFom March q - duly
MAXI yser ne elesed Sea.
- MI aNleu sEom Aprll Is -
Is, Reaaon nlven soF No
IS ~ Ne luwmokeFa b Hcor.
aflo hus ii.o fishermen ssy
VIII ncsuaIly work b reverse
60 new dates win result n
usli.sr daplosvon - ne loeal
ogaMish aueply. rheY expialla
as NJ extra moRih q ilshlnD
slll result n mare erawslsh with
" aoil.lnIe black spes which In
Gleoloe thef stav ere approach.
- MlslheFhood. Than II Ire past
And, The fact that no crawfisl
Nth q tail measuring less than sil
anchaa may be taken is come Ii fol
b Iot Oe criticism. Formerly, an,
eEaMiiGh weiRhting ct least !
pound could be taken legally. Here
= he rub: The fishes tail mus
nneADuro % least six inches and Ii
Ksy West waters. generally. there
fIane amt no such animal. on
fnhsrman said. that to comply
viii the law, be wiz be forced L
ehroNn nine out of ten craWiisl
Aaek into the water because they
are To small. CFawfish with Z SD
inch snil weigh about 4 pound and
4 halG and they are scarce.
Reason for the new ruling Is Chi
ene1 that b The past, certain an
eshieal fishermen had been cutting
ehn tails from understood fish
mnkinR 4 impossible for conserva
oA agents b catch up with them
Bat the big beef seems to b.
~ faet that he provisions Of II,
law which prohibits the storage d
possession a crawfIsh during Ii,
closed season IS going TO ruin TIL
market Generally, the market
reaches MS peak in January witt
those planning On freezing q guam
eiky q the cYustacean, Ii : buyin,
lnood.
But row. these buyers VIII no
- On the market and . serioni
price drop Is ii the citing whiel
WI make It tough scratching fol
Tie fishermen. The new law, in Fl
feet. win kin the January demand
they claim.
Today, State Representative Der
ne c. Papy said that he queries
local fishermen and heard no com
plant before the bin was passed
He addsd that L was not his BIZ
hut VAS introduced BY the Stat
Salt Water Fisheries committee.
sThey had their day ID court,
Papy said Of the fishermen.
Tha only bright spot in the pic
hire seems ID be the fact that til
State Conservation Department Ia
the power to change or modify ID
Continued On Page Fivel