Thread: Alabama Legislative Alert - Gill Net Legislation HB409‏

Legislative Alert - House Bill-409 Dear Members: Last Thursday evening, Rep. David Sessions introduced a bill to the Agriculture and Forestry Committee, HB409, to amend the current gill net statute. The proposed bill would eliminate the requirement that at least 51% of a license holders income be produced from the commercial seafood business and ease the ban on the transfer of licenses. The Board wants to assure you that CCA Alabama leadership is working diligently to oppose the bill. Our leadership has worked closely with our legislators since the bill's introduction and will continue to work on your behalf. CCA has, for decades, worked to ensure a sunset on commercial saltwater gillnetting. During the 1990s, CCA was responsible for legislation requiring commercial gill netters to prove that at least 51% of reported income was produced from gill netting before the license would be renewed. In 2008, CCA worked closely with then Representative Jamie Ison to further enact legislation providing that no new licenses would be issued and that current licenses could not be transferred. As a result of CCA's efforts, the number of commercial gillnetters has decreased from over 200 to fewer than 60. At this time we are not requesting that our membership act on this piece of legislation. If we do need your help we will send out an alert and request specific action. We do want to keep you informed of the proposed bill and our efforts on your behalf. We will update all of you as this process progresses and if swift action is needed by the CCA membership we will be contacting you. Thank You, Bob Singleton State Chairman CCA Alabama

Seems like a never ending battle no matter what state you live in. If I lived in Alabama, Mr. Sessions would be on my do not vote for list

True dat!
Apparently David Sessions is a lap dog for special interest (commercial fishing) in District 105 (south Mobile county)
David Sessions - Ballotpedia

So if this passes are they going to refund the extra money that was put onto our licenses to buy out gillnetters?

Alabama politicians... they want to have this state remain a punchline forever.

Legislative Update and Action Request HB409

Dear CCA Alabama Members and Supporters,

Representative David Sessions, (R-Grand Bay, Dist. 105) and others have introduced an updated version of HB409 into the Alabama House of Representative's Agriculture and Forestry Committee. The proposed bill would eliminate the requirement that at least 51% of a license holder's income be produced from the commercial seafood business. Although Representative Session has worked with us and dropped a transfer provision included in his original bill, he continues to insist on eliminating the income verification provision without providing an adequate explanation as to why it should be removed. This requirement has been in place since the mid 1990's. The income portion was re-memorialized and enacted into law in 2008 along with several other provisions after years of tense negotiations between commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, regulators and legislators. All stakeholders agreed to the income requirement and other requirements in 2008 and all stakeholders have lived with the law since that time. We've discussed the income verification process with the Alabama Department of Conservation, the licensing body, to determine if the tax return review process presents an unmanageable administrative burden. It does not. For these reasons, CCA Alabama sees no reason to repeal the existing portion of the law that deals with income verification. CCA Alabama members are willing to live with the law as it stands at this time and urge all parties to do the same. CCA Alabama opposes HB409.

HB409 is being brought before the Agriculture and Forestry Committee this Wednesday afternoon, May 13th. I urge all CCA Alabama members to contact their local committee representative before 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 5/13 and request they vote NO on HB 409 and leave the existing commercial gill net licensing process unchanged. The Agriculture and Forestry Committee members are included below along with a link.


Thank you,


Bob Singleton
State Chairman
CCA Alabama


Alabama House of Representative's Agriculture and Forestry Committee

Chairman: David Sessions
Mobile County
334-242-0947
d.r.sessions@att.net

Vice Chairman: Donnie Chasteen
Houston & Geneva Counties
334-242-7742
dchasteen@panhandle.rr.com

Richard Lindsey
DeKalb, Calhoun, Cherokee & Cleburne Counties
334-242-7713
Richard.lindsey@alhouse.gov

Will Ainsworth
Marshall, Blount & DeKalb Counties
334-242-7600
Will.ainsworth@alhouse.gov

K.L Brown
Calhoun County
334-353-1778
klbrown@cableone.net

Randy Davis
Mobile & Baldwin Counties
334-242-7724
Rmdavis14@aol.com

Joe Faust
Baldwin County
334-242-7699
jfaust@baldwincountyal.gov

Randy Fincher
Randolph, Chambers & Cleburne Counties
334-242-7600
Rsfincher77@gmail.com

Dexter Grimsley
Houston & Henry Counties
334-242-7740
wlmdexter@hotmail.com

Tommy Hanes
Jackson & DeKalb Counties
334-242-7600
Jhanes55@gmail.com

Reed Ingram
Elmore & Montgomery Counties
334-242-7600
Reedingram75@gmail.com

Artis McCampbell
Tuscaloosa, Sumter, Marengo, Greene, Choctaw & Pickens Counties
334-242-7747
Artis.mccampbell@alhouse.gov

Jack Williams
Mobile County
334-242-7600
Jackwilliams55@icloud.com

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/aliswww/HouseCommittee.aspx?OID_ORGANIZATION=2620&COMMITTE E=AGRICULTURE%20AND%20FORESTRY

I'm in favor of an all-out ban on gillnetting in Alabama waters! Government's role in this matter should be on the side of conservation, not exploitation of the resource to the point of depletion.

Originally Posted by the_reel_doc

So if this passes are they going to refund the extra money that was put onto our licenses to buy out gillnetters?

I'm struggling to come up with a precedent for that scenario!

Just sent a request to Rep. Will Ainsworth to vote NO on HB409. Now I wait to see......

I can speak from experience here. Back in the 1960's, I commercial fished at Guntersville for a summer. I caught tons, yes tons, of carp and buffalo, but probably not 20 pounds of game fish. They just are too smart and too small to stick in the 3 inch gill nets. Now that they have no netting up there, they are beginning to have a problem with the rough fish. I saw an article last week that the biologist are worried that the rough fish are going to destroy the bass fishing. Netting is the only way to remove them.

Salt water is different, I understand, but don't kill the fishery by letting it get over run with rough fish.