http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/browar ... 016.story
I say we storm the commission meeting in full force and demand our rights also! Doesn't my license allow me to fish anywhere, at anytime below the high tide line? Also, I don't think 'home rule' law allows the city to thwart what the state statute allows...
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Hallandale to restrict fishing on the beach
City says new rules will prevent conflicts between swimmers and fishermen
By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
5:59 PM EDT, June 24, 2013
HALLANDALE BEACH
Anglers, please don't hook the bathers.
That's the message coming from Hallandale Beach, where city leaders are poised to approve new rules for surf fishing aimed at protecting swimmers.
Folks wanting to fish anywhere along the coastline would have to do so between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., when the city's lifeguards are off duty. Anglers wanting to cast their lines from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. would be limited to 200 feet on the south end of the beach.
"The swimmers have priority and it's for their safety so they don't get hooked," Commissioner William Julian said. "Also, predatory fish like sharks or barracuda might be attracted to bait."
The new rules are expected to go into effect after the City Commission takes a final vote on Aug. 7. The plan won tentative approval June 19.
Hallandale is not the only city to restrict when and where anglers can do their thing.
In Hollywood, fishing is allowed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Georgia to Sherman streets only, and anglers must keep at least 200 yards away from swimmers.
Surf fishing is allowed anywhere on Hollywood's beach between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Dania Beach allows fishing from its pier from 6 a.m. to midnight. But fishing from the beach is permitted only from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., when lifeguards aren't on duty.
Recent disputes between swimmers and anglers prompted the new rules in Hallandale, said Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan.
"We didn't have a rash of injuries," Sullivan said. "We had a little head butting between swimmers and fishermen."
Scott Sheckman, a Hallandale resident who takes evening strolls along the beach, praised the move.
"The swimmer is afraid of getting hooked," Sheckman said. "And the fisherman is afraid they might hook the swimmer or worried [the swimmer will] scare away the fish."
Two months ago, Sheckman witnessed an elderly woman swimming near shore having a disagreement with a fisherman on the beach.
"She was crossing his line slowly and sort of obliviously, and he didn't want her to get hooked," Sheckman said. "In a few words and a hand gesture, she put it in perspective about who should have the right of way."
Sheckman, who takes ocean swims in the late afternoon, said he can relate.
The new rules may also help beachgoers who stroll along the water's edge and run the risk of getting tangled in an angler's lines, Sheckman said.
"I've run into these lines accidentally on walks," he said. "I feel the updated ordinance will rectify this competing use, at least during prime time" when lifeguards are on duty and swimmers take to the water.
sbryan@tribune.com or 954-356-4554[/center][/center]
