By BEN RAINES
Staff Reporter
Despite emergency state rules that cut gillnetters' fishing time almost in half, the harvest of some species of fish increased by tens of thousands of pounds in 2007.
Under the emergency rule, enacted to limit the take of Spanish mackerel, netters were prevented from fishing three nights per week.
While the mackerel harvest did decline in 2007, state landings data show that netters caught more mullet, bluefish, flounder, pompano, white trout and blue runners.
Several of those species, as well as ladyfish -- another important target for the state's net fishermen -- are key prey in the marine ecosystem.
State records show that the netters collectively earned about $2.8 million in both 2006 and 2007. The netters have argued they can't earn a living under the new rules and asked state officials to loosen the gill net regulations a few weeks ago.
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