Gill Net Law to be Enforced Within Tennessee River Basin of Alabama

Montgomery-In response to an opinion issued by the State of Alabama Attorney General’s Office on December 11, 2012, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) will immediately begin to enforce a ban on the use of gill nets and trammel nets for fishing in the Alabama portions of the Tennessee River and its tributaries as provided for in Alabama Code §9-11-88 (1975).

For many years, the law was not enforced based on an interpretation of court case history that deemed it to be unconstitutional. In the opinion announced on December 11, the Attorney General clarified that the use of gill nets on the Tennessee River or its tributaries within Alabama is prohibited by state law, and that ADCNR is responsible for enforcing that prohibition.