FWC reconsiders proposal to open Pumpkin Hill Creek to shrimping after local opposition

Erica Burgess, a regional manager with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Marine Fisheries Management, told the Jacksonville Waterways Commission on April 10 that FWC staff have proposed two rule changes affecting Nassau and Duval counties: increasing the dead-shrimp allowance for commercial live-bait shrimpers from one gallon to five gallons, and opening portions of Pumpkin Hill Creek to seasonal recreational and commercial shrimp harvest from September through December.

The FWC proposal was prompted by commercial shrimpers who asked the commission to reduce regulatory burdens, Burgess said, and staff have held multiple public workshops in Northeast Florida. "The proposal is to allow commercial live bait shrimpers in Nassau and Duval Counties to increase their dead shrimp allowance from 1 gallon to 5 gallons," Burgess said. On Pumpkin Hill Creek she said the proposal would open the creek from the Nassau River down to Tiger Point for a limited season.

The change to the dead-shrimp allowance would align Nassau and Duval with the rest of the state, Burgess said, and is intended to reduce waste by allowing baiters to retain dead shrimp that would otherwise be discarded. "It still deters them from using practices that aren't good for keeping their live bait shrimp alive but it reduces waste," she said.

The Pumpkin Hill Creek proposal drew concern from Waterways Commission members and members of the public at the meeting. Elizabeth Filippelli, representing Duval Audubon and Timucuan Parks Foundation, urged the commission to oppose opening the preserve to shrimping, saying the area supports sensitive species and recreational uses. "This is a vital ecosystem that supports diverse wildlife, including our vulnerable diamondback terrapins," Filippelli said during public comment.

Councilman Jimmy Paluso (District 7) told FWC staff he expected elected officials in Duval County would oppose opening the preserve and said he was pleased FWC was reconsidering. Several commissioners and local officials raised questions about bycatch, impacts to oysters and other habitat, potential user conflicts with kayaks and paddlers, and whether the scientific and economic bases for the change were sufficient. Commissioner Hardesty said a five-gallon allowance is a small amount, but asked why initial workshops were held elsewhere rather than in Northeast Florida; Burgess said multiple workshops have been held in the Jacksonville area.

Burgess told the commission FWC has received a formal resolution from the Jacksonville City Council opposing the Pumpkin Hill opening and that National Park Service staff at Timucuan National Park also objected. "We are reconsidering our recommendation right now," she said, and FWC will consider public comments before making a final rule recommendation to the commission later this year. Burgess gave a web address and email for public comment (myFWC.com and marine@myFWC.com).

Commissioners asked whether the two proposed rule changes could be separated; Burgess said they could be split and handled independently. Commissioners also asked about economic analysis; Burgess said the proposal falls below FWC's threshold that would trigger a formal economic study. On the question of whether opening Pumpkin Hill Creek would increase shrimp abundance, Burgess said opening additional areas would not create more shrimp biologically but would create more places where harvest could occur.

No formal vote was taken by the Waterways Commission on the FWC proposal at the April 10 meeting. Burgess said FWC staff will take the commission's comments, stakeholder input and the city council resolution into account before making a final recommendation to the full commission.

The proposal remains under review; FWC staff said a final commission decision was postponed from an originally planned May date and no new date had been set during the April 10 meeting.

Quotes in this article come from Erica Burgess and Elizabeth Filippelli, as recorded in the Waterways Commission transcript for April 10.