Saw a group of divers take a limit of undersized bugs last night in Laguna

    I saw the group walking on the sand as me and a couple friends were heading out to the water. Now I'm not a confrontational guy and I knew that if I called the DFG they would not get here in time to stop the divers. So I just mentioned that they were kinda small, which he replied, "Big enough". You could tell he knew they were illegal the way he said it and smiled. It really bothered me but I let him go. So I wondered what should I do next time? I've got a camera and video camera, but will anything I shoot be used as evidence? Or would it all be a waist of time on my part?


    Also what's the deal with CAL-tip phone number? 888-334-2258 I called them after midnight but it just went to voice mail. Is there another number I can call to reach a DFG officer late at night?


    I could call the Laguna Beach Police instead, they could detain the poachers long enough for the DFG to arrive. Their number is 949-497-0701 ( press 1 for the operator). I just added it to my call phone tonight. But still... even if I call the police and they get there in time. How do I contact the local DFG officers?



    Oh and I guess I'll add the report from North Laguna. Friday night vis was a solid 15ft in most spots, no moon, surge was moderate and growing throughout the dive but the vis held. Bugs were practically non existent on the rocks, but the lone ones that were there were crawling around. The eel grass seemed to be the only place to find the bugs. My buddies found 3 legals crawling around in the weeds after an hour or two of looking. Biggest one was around 2.5lbs. I grabbed about a half dozen shorts, but no keepers. Even so it was fun to swim around in the clear water and see some bugs get caught, even if they weren't mine ;)

    I would have attempted a plate # on the car, if the jerks refused to put them back. We need to partner up,
    I am a confrontational guy when I am face to face with a poacher in our back yard. Were they bubble butts ?


    Cheers, Don


    I just called the 888#... they must be out protecting our State Parks from from people with poodles off the leash.:rolleyes1::rolleyes1:

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Edited 3 times, last by Don Paul ().

    Quote from Joe Acevedo

    Sad thing is Next year there might not be anybody to stop the Poachers:(:angry5::(


    ~`~`~`~` the MLPA's ,,,,,ok done venting...Joe


    I going to take the day off work to go to the Dec meeting as soon as I find the time and date.
    At least the MPLA will get no Prop 21 cash till they try to sell the Save our parks lies again.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Quote from Don Paul

    I would have attempted a plate # on the car, if the jerks refused to put them back. We need to partner up,
    I am a confrontational guy when I am face to face with a poacher in our back yard. Were they bubble butts ?


    Cheers, Don


    I just called the 888#... they must be out protecting our State Parks from from people with poodles off the leash.:rolleyes1::rolleyes1:


    Yah I should have gotten the plate number, but really would the DFG use it? The guy only had 7 undersized lobsters, which amounted to the size or 3 regular lobsters. With that many he was probably going to eat them soon. By the time the DFG got a search warrant (and that's if they got one) the lobsters would probably be gone. And I don't think my testimony is enough to convict them. So I'm just wondering what's the purpose of getting the license plate number?


    Oh and they were a group of 3 freedivers, no tanks.


    But yah wish I was partnered up with you Don. I needed someone to rip those guys a new one.


    Quote from Don Paul

    I going to take the day off work to go to the Dec meeting as soon as I find the time and date.
    At least the MPLA will get no Prop 21 cash till they try to sell the Save our parks lies again.


    Cheers, Don


    What city are they having the meeting in?


    Edit: oh it's


    Wednesday..December 15, 2010 8:30AM
    Hotel Mar Monte
    1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara


    Quote from Joe Acevedo

    Sad thing is Next year there might not be anybody to stop the Poachers:(:angry5::(


    ~`~`~`~` the MLPA's ,,,,,ok done venting...Joe


    Yah it's not going to be pretty once the MLPA goes into effect down here.

    Well I talked to a lifeguard and he said a Laguna Beach police officer can give a citation for poaching. So next time I see some poaching going on my plan is to run back to the car for my cell, go back and find the poachers, then call 949-497-0701 for the Laguna Beach Police. Should be interesting.

    Quote from spearstuff

    Well I talked to a lifeguard and he said a Laguna Beach police officer can give a citation for poaching. So next time I see some poaching going on my plan is to run back to the car for my cell, go back and find the poachers, then call 949-497-0701 for the Laguna Beach Police. Should be interesting.


    Sad to hear they were freedivers, The plate # and car description can help the next time we find him parked and diving a area. They will most likely do it until they get nailed, I took a course with F+G law enforcement when they had a deputy program offered to select dive club members many years ago. We had a agents #
    and a direct line to all the wardens in our area. I was able to set up a few big busts on poaching gillneter's and
    a ass hole that thought he owned all the bugs at Cat year round.:angry5: It took 2 seasons to get him but he went down at gun point during a sting.


    I do not the agents in LB or CC theses days, but let me see what I can find out for the next time.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Quote from Don Paul


    I do not the agents in LB or CC theses days, but let me see what I can find out for the next time.


    Cheers, Don


    Thanks Don, I'd love to hear what the local wardens have to say. And get their phone numbers if you ever talk to them.


    But with the shortage of manpower in the DFG as it is I wonder how often they check license plate numbers in Laguna, especially when many parking spots are residential roads and not designated beach parking. And when they check the numbers how are they doing it? Memory, printout, call their headquarters, or a computer? Depending on the answer it would really show how useful the license plate number is to them.


    Quote from phil herranen

    when will the last one be ?since its in sb it is a lot closer for me.
    phil


    Wednesday..December 15, 2010 8:30AM
    Hotel Mar Monte
    1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara

    Quote from Don Paul

    Sad to hear they were freedivers.


    Cheers, Don



    Just more proof that there are just as many tools without tanks as with. The common denominator is just being a self absorbed asshole.

    Quote from Don Paul

    I would have attempted a plate # on the car, if the jerks refused to put them back. We need to partner up,
    I am a confrontational guy when I am face to face with a poacher in our back yard.


    +1, gotta give poachers both barrels so they know it's not just the DFG they need to be worried about. Fortunately poachers are dickless immoral cowards, quick to tuck their tails between their legs when they get themselves into a shitty situation...


    If you're not too confrontational, nothing helps like "this video of you and your license plates is going to look awesome on youtube".

    Still on the same theme but a different country. While sailing in the northern Sea of Cortez I had an encounter with a 60' motor sailor that was spearing large numbers of grouper and pargo at night on scuba. He has huge freezer capacity and was freezing the fish in large numbers. I Confronted him first on the ethical issues of doing this. He did not agree with me. I then explained the Mexican fish and game regulations as I understood them and he said screw off. We were both on vessels 100 miles from the nearest port. I did not know where to go from there. The worst part is he is still there and plans to stay in the Sea of Cortez. Anyone have suggestions on what to do? I will be back around him and his boat in 3 months.

    Daniel: The guy's remark makes me think he had no clue and probably didn't even have a gauge. I'm guessing you did have a gauge. If it were me I would have offered to measure his lobs and if they came up short then asked him to release them and explain why. His other option is to get reported (drivers license). Your right that it may have never amounted to an arrest but these guys need to know that all eyes are on them. The way I see it, 4 of those lobsters belonged to you, another to me and the others to Darren and Alex. They are ripping our bugs that we were dutifully waiting to grow and reproduce before bagging them. They stole your bugs.


    Thanks for reporting. I hope to get back in the water later this month. I'll be extra vigilant.

    Quote from Stephan

    Daniel: The guy's remark makes me think he had no clue and probably didn't even have a gauge. I'm guessing you did have a gauge. If it were me I would have offered to measure his lobs and if they came up short then asked him to release them and explain why. His other option is to get reported (drivers license). Your right that it may have never amounted to an arrest but these guys need to know that all eyes are on them. The way I see it, 4 of those lobsters belonged to you, another to me and the others to Darren and Alex. They are ripping our bugs that we were dutifully waiting to grow and reproduce before bagging them. They stole your bugs.


    Thanks for reporting. I hope to get back in the water later this month. I'll be extra vigilant.


    Stephan the guy knew that his bugs were illegal. His ton of voice was pretty smug. Also the rest of his group tried to hide their lobsters as we walked by. But yah if the next guy sounds like he just doesn't know the laws I'll ask to measure the lobsters with my gauge.


    And I don't care about the lobsters that were stolen. By the time those lobsters grew to legal size that area would be closed by the MLPA. The only thing that I care/cared about is to find a way for the authorities to catch the poachers.


    Right now my future poaching plans are to call the local police, ask for an estimate on how long it will take for them to get here, and go from there. If it doesn't look like they'll show in time I'll probably take out my video camera and dive light and go snap some youtube magic, like Miguel was suggesting.


    But you know I've got a cool idea. Next time I see a poacher I could pretend to be real friendly like I want to dive with him in the future then ask to exchange phone numbers so we could go dive together in the future. If he says yes then I'll go back to the car, call the police real quick, and then run back to the poacher's car to exchange numbers and chit chat with them while the cops show up. Then I'll have to ask about the undersized lobsters without sounding like I obviously know they're illegal. If it sounds like they've done this before and the cops don't show up then I could call a DFG officer and try to set up a sting operation in the future and catch the poachers in the act.

    Most states have a hotline to report poaching incidents. Some even offer rewards if the reports lead to a conviction. I don't know about your state but might be worth checking.


    My point was not so much those specific lobsters, but that in general these guys are stealing from all of us. In fact they are even stealing from those people who simply wish to observe them. I was just trying to personalize it. Anyhow, I agree your strategy may be the most effective yet. It would be nice if the police had a line that you could simply send a text message to. That way you could be even less conspicuous if you wanted to remain un-confrontational.

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