Sadly, many of the lobsters didn’t get a chance to reproduce. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Spiny lobsters are a key predator in Southern California’s marine environment. By eating kelp-hungry urchins, they maintain balance in kelp forest ecosystems. That’s why, for more than a century, rules have existed in California for how you can hunt the crustaceans.
However, lobster dinners are not cheap, and some are tempted to break the law. Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced that they caught a suspect in San Diego on June 13 with a trove of spiny lobsters, allegedly having broken just about every rule in the book.
They stopped a subject at the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve with 24 lobsters, 21 of which didn’t meet size requirements. Additionally, the lobsters had been taken out of season and had been illegally captured with a speargun.
Lobster season in California runs from the first Wednesday in October until the first Wednesday after March 15. This alleged poacher was three months late in his pursuit. Lobsters taken must measure at least 3.25 inches from the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell to allow lobsters time to mature and reproduce before they are hunted. Lastly, the lobsters that officials discovered had all been pierced by spearfishing gear, which the suspect had in their possession. California regulations require divers to hunt lobsters by hand.
Authorities said many of the lobsters were females carrying eggs.
“The lobsters and the suspect’s spearfishing equipment were seized as evidence and the suspect was arrested for multiple counts of several violations including taking lobster out of season, possessing undersized lobster, exceeding the daily bag limit of lobster, harvesting within a state marine reserve, using an unlawful method of take, fishing without a valid license, and failing to possess a measuring device,” the department said in its statement. “Penalties for these crimes are expensive, violators face a maximum of $1,000 per violation and up to six months of jail time.”
California first protected lobsters in 1894. Since then, the rules have adapted over the years. Today, during lobster season in recreational fisheries, there is a daily limit of seven lobsters in your possession at a time. In other words, if you catch seven, you have to consume them before you can catch more.
The commercial lobster fishery is subject to a different set of rules regarding permits, types of traps, and the time of day lobsters can be taken.
