Seventeen lobsters saved from poachers. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife//Facebook
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers arrested five suspects for illegally hunting lobster out of season this month in Palos Verdes.
The department said that in a night patrol conducted on an unspecified date in July, officers came across two groups of individuals in possession of lobsters. Lobster season in California ended March 18 and will not reopen again until October 7.
In the first instance, officers caught three suspects red-handed taking the crustaceans from the ocean. They had five lobsters. Later, officers discovered another group of two suspects illegally hunting — one suspect had three lobsters and the other had hidden a bag with nine in nearby rocks. Officers reported that several of the captured lobsters were females carrying eggs.
All the individuals were arrested, released, and handed citations, which can cost up to $1,000 per violation. The 17 lobsters seized were still alive and safely returned to the ocean.
“The season is closed for a portion of the year to allow for lobsters to reproduce, and taking lobsters during the closed season is prohibited,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote on social media. “During the closed season, many female lobsters are carrying eggs. Female lobsters can carry up to 800,000 eggs, so removing them from the population can have detrimental effects on the species.”
Last month, officers in San Diego found a suspect with 24 lobsters, many undersized. Not only had the suspect hunted out of season, but they had purportedly used a speargun, which is illegal. California law requires that lobsters be hunted by hand and, when in season, each individual can only have seven lobsters at a time.
In another operation this summer, officers found suspects with 34 illegally captured lobsters at the Santa Monica Pier.
