Florida Pompano Fishing Restriction Upheld in Fisherman’s Appeal

Florida’s restrictions on pompano fishing don’t illegally discriminate against local fishermen, even though the rules only apply to fishing boats registered in the state, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission didn’t violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment when the agency passed restrictions meant to conserve pompano stock, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said.

Florida-based commercial fisherman Tim Daniels challenged the state agency after being arrested in 2020 for harvesting pompano outside of permissible zones in the Gulf of Mexico. After the US District Court for the ...