Lack of park official supervision is leading to reckless endangerment of wildlife at Anclote Gulf Park.
Lack of park official supervision is leading to reckless endangerment of wildlife at Anclote Gulf Park.
I have lived in New Port Richey, FL. For seven and a half years. I frequent the fishing pier at Anclote Gulf Park, though I do not fish. I go there to see the wildlife. However, more and more, what I am seeing is the lack of supervision by park officials leading to careless, thoughtless people leaving debris that adversely affects the very wildlife I am there to view. Tangled snarls of fishing line hang draped from the pier, often with attached hooks. Often, these are trailing in the water. I once saw a man holding a fishing reel, while an unfortunate gull was hooked on the other end of the line. The offending fisherman simply laughed as he yanked the pole, tugging the gull as it flapped in vain, trying to free itself from the hook in its mouth. I once saw a man toss a fish to a white heron. The fish still had a large hook stuck in it. On Tuesday, December 20, 2005 I was once again at the pier. I was there from approximately 12:00 P.M. - 12:30 P.M. During that half an hour, I saw a pelican with fishing line tangled around its neck and the lower half of its bill, and a cormorant with fishing line tangled around its neck.
The purpose for this petition is to help bring these, and other, related, problems to the attention of the proper state officials. This petition will be sent to Mark Robson, Director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Marine Fisheries Division, in Tallassee, FL.
