SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, July 14, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) arrested six unnamed suspects for poaching 34 lobsters off the Santa Monica Pier out of season.

As announced on the CDFW website, during the poacher operation, wildlife officers used their trained canines to sniff out lobsters that the suspects had hidden in duffel bags, backpacks, vehicles, and a baby stroller to transport off the pier.

The CDFW operation safely saved the 34 California Spiny Lobsters that had been poached, with several of the lobsters being egg-bearing females, and the lobsters being returned back to the Ocean.

Out-of-season extraction of the Spiny Lobster creates imbalances within oceanic ecosystems, as the Spiny Lobster is a keystone predator toward Sea urchins, who are known to overgraze kelp.

March 18 marked the end of California’s Spiny Lobster season, meaning any lobster extraction out of season after the 18th is a violation of the law and can result in up to $1,000 per violation or up to one year in jail. During the operation, the CDFW announced that the six suspects were arrested for the following violations:

  • Taking lobster out of season
  • Exceeding the daily bag limit of lobster
  • Taking undersized lobster
  • Taking lobster by hook and line
  •  Possession of more than triple the daily bag limit of lobster

The identity of the six suspects have not been made public.