After the Florida Net Ban: The Impacts on Commercial Fishing Families

In November 1994, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that outlawed commercial entanglement nets of more than 500 square feet in state waters. The "net ban" affected an estimated 1500 fishers and their families. This article reviews some of the family impacts of the net ban, based on data collected from a group of commercial fishing families who participated in a study of family stress and coping before the net ban and agreed to be reinterviewed after this significant event. The results focus on the stress and coping processes families used to adjust to the net ban and the gender differences in the stress process and stress outcomes. Findings indicate that both husbands and wives experience mental health impacts of changes in the industry and that these outcomes manifest in different ways by gender. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for policies, programs, and services offered to those affected by changes in natural resource regulations.