Update on an old thread....
SoCal lobster poacher gets 7 days in jail, $20,000 in fines - The Daily Breeze
QuoteDisplay MoreSANTA ANA - A diver who admitted poaching lobster in Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve had to give up all his gear, serve a seven-day jail sentence, pay fines of more than $20,000 and promise to stay away from protected areas.
Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland, who, along with a partner, was caught with 47 California spiny lobster Jan. 15, pleaded guilty in an Orange County court to crimes related to illegally taking more than three times the daily limit of lobster.
"This diver intentionally took a huge over-limit of lobster with no regard for the current laws," said Paul Hamdorf, assistant chief of the state Department of Fish and Game. "He didn't follow any fish and game laws, including (restrictions on taking lobster in Marine Protected Area)."
The daily limit for recreational fishing is seven lobsters per day. Divers can catch them by hand, or they can be caught with baited hoop nets, set by boaters or from piers. Lobsters are in season from early October through mid- March.
Fish and Game wardens spotted the pair after midnight, and all but five of the lobster were undersize, according to the department. Lobsters have to be about 8 inches long or be thrown back.
Para, who was sentenced May 4, took responsibility for the entire haul, and his companion was not cited.
The case was the first of its kind prosecuted since a law took effect Jan. 1, establishing protected marine areas.