March 7, 2016 — Jackson County’s Board of Supervisors decided Monday to have its meetings videotaped and posted for the public to see online.
Also on Monday, the board, in a split vote, decided to ask the state to restrict menhaden fishing to one mile off the Jackson County mainland.
A spokesman for Omega Protein, a commercial menhaden fishing operation out of Moss Point, tried to convince the board that it would hurt their $46 million-a-year industry, but county Supervisor Troy Ross said he sees it as a protection measure for fish in the Mississippi Sound.
Company spokesman Rick Schillaci told the board the Omega Protein already self-imposes a half-mile restriction in Jackson County and asked county leaders not to impose one mile.
“There is no real justification of you pushing us off,” Schillaci said, “And you’re going to send a message to businesses in Jackson County that this Board of Supervisors is not supportive of industry.”
He accused the board of bowing to recreational fishermen.