Santa Barbara had another big week for lobster crime. A recent announcement by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on social media outlined a surge in illegal crustacean fishing on the eve of the opening of California’s spiny lobster season.
The California spiny lobster is a highly sought-after target of both recreational and commercial fisheries. As a result, there are strict regulations as to the amount, size and timing of any catch. The official season opened October 2, but some ocean bandits jumped the gun.
According to the announcement, a wildlife officer patrolling the Goleta Pier in Santa Barbara County “saw a subject pulling a hoop net onto the pier, removing lobster and placing them in a cooler. The wildlife officer contacted the subject and determined he was in unlawful possession of five lobsters – four of which were undersized.”
That was just the beginning, though. The following day, that same officer found another poacher in the same spot. That perpetrator was in possession of ten animals, eight of which were illegally undersized.
A week later, another team of officers found three different groups poaching lobsters on the Goleta pier. Between the three of them, officers seized 28 lobsters, 16 of which were smaller than legal size – including six that were hidden in the vehicle of one of the fishers.
Over the course of the various busts, five subjects were arrested for violations that included the take of lobster out of season, take of undersized lobster and possessing over-limits of lobster. All the creatures were returned to the ocean alive.
