Illegal gill net stuffed with wildlife removed from Sanibel waters

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission haul an illegal, 500-foot net from the Gulf in waters near Sanibel Island. This is a gil net, which was banned by the state in 1995 to help the state's recreational fisheries rebound from overharvest.

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission haul an illegal, 500-foot net from the Gulf in waters near Sanibel Island. This is a gil net, which was banned by the state in 1995 to help the state’s recreational fisheries rebound from overharvest.

Sanibel Police Department

USA TODAY Network, Reuters

A team of marine biologists, Sanibel police officers and fish and wildlife agents and others battled a 500-foot net off the bottom of the Gulf this week, releasing a manatee, several large fish and other critters that were trapped in the massive net.

The net was an illegal gill net, which basically traps everything in the sea. These nets were made illegal in Florida in 1995 to help recover the state’s billion-dollar recreational fisheries.

So, not only did that boating captain use an illegal net to fish in public waters, they also left it behind to kill indiscriminately.

“It was an enormous net, and seeing the wildlife caught in it was heartbreaking,” said Kelly Sloan, coastal wildlife director at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, or SCCF. “In addition to the live manatee, we found a dead bonnethead shark, several rays, including some that were still alive and were able to be released, and numerous fish.”

Fishing nets have long been used in Florida waters, but this net was loose and entangling wildlife – basically a stationary trapping machine.

“Discarded fishing nets like this are also a significant source of mortality for sea turtles, so that was one of my immediate concerns when we found it,” Sloan said. “Thankfully, we did not find any sea turtles entangled in this net, but the number and variety of animals affected really underscores the danger these nets pose to our marine wildlife.”

Sloan said the net was very large, larger than any she’s seen in decades of coastal work in various parts of the nation.

Illegal gill net retrieved near Sanibel in Florida

“I have worked in coastal wildlife conservation in several parts of the country, and I have never encountered a discarded net of this size here or anywhere else,” she said. “We are incredibly grateful to have such a responsive police department on Sanibel. They didn’t hesitate to jump in and help when wildlife was in danger, and they were able to help the trapped animals very quickly.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was involved in the net recovery.

“The net was identified as a monofilament gill net, also referred to as an entanglement net,” said FWC spokesman Bradley Johnson. “The use of gill or entangling nets is prohibited in Florida waters. These types of nets can indiscriminately entangle and injure or kill marine life, including fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.

“Florida law specifically prohibits the use of gill or entangling nets of any size, and nets constructed wholly or partially of monofilament are generally considered entangling nets unless specifically authorized by FWC rule,” Johnson said.

FWC encourages anyone with information about this incident, or any violation, to contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922.

Sloan said the net removal was just part of being a responsible coastal community.

“It’s a great example of what can happen when our community comes together to protect the wildlife that makes Sanibel such a special place,” Sloan said.

Chad Gillis is an environment reporter and can be reached by email at cgillis@news-press.com.

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Chad Gillis is an environment reporter and can be reached by email at cgillis@news-press.co

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Illegal gill net stuffed with wildlife removed from Sanibel waters

Reporting by Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 2:30 PM.

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