ge mesh gill net set in the coastal waters of North Carolina. While I have seen a lot of dead red drum discards, once a commercial fishermen has his 7 fish for the day he has to discard the rest of his red drum catch dead or alive, it's a sobering experience... I haven't always had the luxury of Luke and his camera on board. Ironically it's not something we want to find but it is something we need on film as evidence of the wanton waste of this fishery.While there have been plenty of lows involved in the recent increase in seasonal commercial gill nets in our home waters including dead waterfowl, redfish and sea turtle carcasses hidden in the marsh we are seeing progress towards a resolution to this situation from many conservation groups in our area. Some of the lows this month include my digital Nikon SLR being stolen from my car, which was vandalised, in my driveway while I was asleep. I made a police report the next morning on my way to Topsail with Luke to film the last Sea Turtle release of 2009 by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital of Topsail, NC.
Luke captured some amazing footage and interviews during the release of some 9 rehabilitated sea turtles on the
beach at Topsail. There were over 300 people in attendance and media from all over. Luke even made the front page of the paper the next day in a photograph of a loggerhead being released. I would like to personally thank Jean Beasley for her encouragement and her open invitation to access her staff and her hospital. There are some amazing things going on and they are constantly in need of support. If you would like to get involved to donate, volunteer or raise money please visit their website at www.seaturtlehospital.org/ for more information.We are beginning to chip at the tip of the iceberg and are looking forward to sharing the finished product with everyone that has helped and encouraged us along the way. Please email us or call us if you would like to get involved or help in any way.
Regards,
RFCJ Crew
