Lobster season brings enforcement
Captain Kidd’s salesperson Julian Alatorre holds up a Maine lobster (left) and a California lobster. Photo by David Rosenfeld Commercial and recreational lobster seasons got underway in October as California Department of Fish and Game officers stepped up enforcement of illegal poaching. Dan Sforza, acting assistant chief for the southern enforcement district, said while he did not have exact figures, officers write citations nightly for illegal lobster fishing from ports in Los Angeles, Ventura and Dana Point. “We can generally go out on a nightly basis and find people not having the proper paperwork, not abiding by the bag limits or the size limits and not fishing in legal areas,” Sforza said. In one case, officials were investigating a potential poaching incident in Abalone Cove. Lobster fishing can be especially fruitful off the coast of Palos Verdes where the skittish crustaceans can hide during the day among the rocks. Lobster poaching typically takes place during the off-season, but there are a host of other violations that can occur from October through March during the actual season. “Poaching runs the spectrum between people trying to catch lobsters out of season, going…
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