Headlines	MRC News	News Around the lagoon	Workshop Issues	MRC Programs	The Lagoon Monitor
Winter 2001 - V.16 N.4 NEWS AROUND THE LAGOON   Ban on Gill Nets Associated with Mullet Population Rebound   Indian River Lagoon South Feasibility Study Released   Ft. Pierce Works on Port Master Plan   Florida Slow to React to Toxic Algae   Legal Challenge to Manatee Zones   Buildings in Conflict with Comprehensive Plan to be Demolished   Army Corps Rollback Wetlands Mitigation Requirements   Central Florida To Run Out of Water in Five Years   Global Warming Threaten Estuaries   Boaters Suggest a Solution to Manatee Impacts   Everglades Restoration Office Closed   Conservation Lands Funded By FCT   Martin County Comp Plan Draws Fire From State		Ban on Gill Nets Associated with Mullet Population Rebound From Florida Today    Biologists from the Florida Marine Research Institute report that the population of Striped Mullet has doubled statewide since the state banned gill nets six years ago. More mullet means a healthier ecosystem because the fish eat algae and are a major part of the food chain. In 1995, voters approved a constitutional amendment that banned the use of nets bigger than 500 square feet in nearshore and inshore waters such as the Indian River Lagoon. Before the ban, commercial fisherman caught more than 20 million pounds yearly. Now they haul 7.6 million pounds a year. In November, striped mullet begin their yearly migration from the Indian River Lagoon to the ocean to spawn. In 1993 the state set a goal of having 35 percent of the mullet population spawn successfully, prior to 1993, an estimated 19 percent of mullet spawned successfully. Last year was the first time that the goal was met. Next Article: Indian River Lagoon South Feasibility Study Released. © 2003 Marine Resources Council of East Florida