ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier is Chris Charlton's go-to spot for some fresh catch.
"I'm from South Carolina, and we don't have things like this," he said.
The Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier is unique. The pier is what's left of the original Skyway Bridge before it collapsed. It's a unique area in the middle of the water that attracts locals and tourists. In fact, 200,000 people a year visit the longest fishing pier in the world.
"It's quite the experience. So I would hate for anything to limit that, that experience," he added.
However, limits are on the way.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to add new regulations. FWC hopes those regulations will do more to protect the pelicans and seabirds in the area.
"The definition of a compromise is that no one's happy," FWC Commissioner Gary Lester said. "All of this conversation has illustrated a really tough issue. That we have a lot of folks in the middle, but we also have a lot of folks sort of on each end of the spectrum in this conversation that are never going to be satisfied by anything we do. Because they feel strongly on one end of the spectrum than the other."
Starting Oct. 1, there will be changes to fishing on the pier. Changes include:
- Anglers must have proof of completing the annual education requirement.
- The use of the following gear from Nov. 15 – March 15 each year is prohibited:
- Fishing rigs with more than one hook attached (e.g., sabiki rig, chicken rig, topwater plug).
- Any multiple hooks (e.g., treble hook).
- Anglers are limited to using no more than two sets of hook-and-line fishing gear (e.g., rods or handlines).
These changes are aimed at protecting brown pelicans and other seabirds.
Thousands of birds are injured or killed yearly after becoming entangled in fishing gear. According to a study by Thomas and Forys in 2022, the Skyway Pier sees more injuries than every other fishing pier in Tampa Bay combined.
Figuring out how to protect the birds and allow people to fish from the pier is divisive.
Fifty-two speakers spoke at the FWC commission meeting.
Elise Bennett, the director and attorney for the Florida Center for Biological Diversity.
"The suite of protections that are before us today are all good, but they will not be truly effective unless you approve year-round prohibitions on multi-hook gear," she said.
Others, like Captain Zack Sturm with the Old Salt Fishing Foundation, asked for less restrictions.
"I think this is a very lazy fix. I do not believe it's going to do anything in service to the birds. And at the same time, it's going to limit anglers," he said.
FWC vows to revisit and determine if more or less restrictions are needed in two years.
In the meantime, they have a grant to furnish a rescue station on the pier for injured seabirds.
But Charlton said that with all the changes, he may have to find another place to cast his lines.
"I've passed probably 20 or so piers between Indian shores to get here," he said.
