A previous regulation issued last week included vague wording that has been clarified and tightened. Blood bait and chumming for sharks is prohibited within 300 feet of the shoreline, either from the beach or from a boat, and that includes bow fishing (from shore or boat).
"We don't want to put anyone in harm's way or negatively impact (legal) fishing," said Vernon Minton, chief of the Alabama Marine Resources Division. He and Maj. John Jenkins have met or talked with other Gulf of Mexico state agencies about trying to establish some kind of regulation to tighten shark fishing -- which can be a problem if people don't use common sense -- and said Florida's officials are interested in Alabama's regulation.
"We will be the first state with a workable solution that does not negatively impact legal fishing," Jenkins said.
Mobile Press-Register
Editor's Note: We have not seen the new regulation as it has been rewritten, but will publish it here as soon as it is availabe.
