Tag Archives: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Newly discovered illegal reef off the coast of Lee County impacting shrimpers
An alert for one of Southwest Florida’s biggest industries after an illegal, manmade reef was discovered off the coast of Lee County. A shrimp net worth almost $2,000 was found tangled up in the illegal manmade reef. Fishermen discovered it about 9 miles off the shore of Fort Myers Beach – a place where many drop their nets to catch shrimp. Captain Mark Grunwale with Erickson and Jensen Shrimp Company spends weeks at a time fishing for shrimp with some pretty expensive equipment. “We know where a lot of them are at, but we didn’t know where this one was at,” Capt. Grunwale said. On Friday, divers from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office recovered a shrimp net caught in the illegal reef that not only impacted shrimpers but marine life as well. “There will be no knowing how it got there. This particular site is right in the middle of shrimp trolling lanes when they are coming out of Fort Myers Beach.” The net is believed to belong to a shrimp company out of Texas. Video, read the story here 19:38
Texas Shrimpboat captain found with illegal lobster tails
The operator of a Texas-based shrimp boat has been arrested after Lee County deputies searched the boat and found undersized lobster tails and fish. 45-year-old Francisco Hernandez of Brownsville, Texas is facing 47 counts of conservation violations. According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, a marine unit conducted a vessel stop on the “Lady Michelle A” Wednesday and received consent from Hernandez to search the boat. 34 spiny lobster tails were found in the boat’s freezer. All were undersized and separated from the body,,, Read the rest here 10:13
