Gill net ban serves useful purpose

I was very much offended by the slanted rhetorical writing in the article ''Fisherman Flounder as Gill Net Ban Kicks In,'' July 5: ''Armed with out-of state donations, and a few high-priced lobbyists, the conservationists easily got their message out.''

The issue is not whether people in other states are interested in the devastating effects of gill net fishing. And it is not whether environmental groups have lobbyists in Washington. The issue is whether the fish are being taken faster than they can reproduce because if they are, that is bad for all of us. The fishermen have my sympathy, but cutbacks are not caused by environmentalists. They are caused by the fact that the resources are reaching a natural limit.

Francesca Hampton Santa Cruz, Calif.

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