NEWPORT BEACH : Proposed Gill Net Ban to Be Discussed
Speak Up Newport, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, will host a discussion Wednesday on the controversy over gill-net fishing.
Representatives of the California Gill-Netters Assn. and the Committee to Ban Gill Nets will address the group on the pros and cons of the proposed ballot measure, “The Marine Resources Protection Act of 1990.” The initiative, written by Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Orange), would ban the use of gill nets in the Southern California waters within three miles of the coast.
Proponents of the ban argue that gill nets have depleted fish populations and marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions, while opponents argue that outlawing the fishing net would drive up the cost of seafood and hurt the fishing industry.
Organizers must submit at least 950,000 valid signatures by May 7 to qualify for the November, 1990, ballot. As of Monday, more than that number has been gathered, according to Sam Roth, a spokesman for the Committee to Ban Gill Nets.
The meeting will be held at the Villa Nova Restaurant at 3131 W. Coast Highway from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
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