News Release

Two Pine Island men arrested for illegal gill netting

October 18, 2007
Contact: Officer JoAnne Adams 863-581-6990

Two Southwest Florida men, with a long history of fisheries' law violations, were caught and charged by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers early Wednesday, Oct. 17 with a variety of offenses related to the constitutional ban on the use of gill nets in state waters.

Jon Bowyer, DOB 03/22/65, of 5517 Meadowlake Lane, Bokeelia, was charged with fleeing to elude, illegal use of an entangling net, and failure to transit directly.

Kelby Kolaz, DOB 10/31/71, of 5476 Ave D, Bokeelia, was charged with the illegal use of an entangling net and failure to transit directly.

FWC Investigator Larry Jernstedt and FWC Officer Dave Jennings were working a joint detail with the Lee County Sherriff's Office and the Coast Guard in an effort to apprehend illegal gill net fishermen.  At about 2 a.m., Jernstedt and Jennings, in an unmarked boat, followed Bowyer and Kolaz from Jug Creek Fish House to the north end of Pine Island Sound.  There they observed the defendants pulling a gill net from the water into their boat.  When officers approached the subjects and identified themselves, Bowyer and Kolaz attempted to elude capture by deploying the gill net into the path of the officers' boat. The defendants were stopped shortly thereafter and placed into custody.  

The net contained a number of pompano.  The fish were returned to the water alive.  Officers seized 700 yards of gill net and night-vision equipment.