Boat Captain Charged in Killing of Pelican

Long Beach fishing boat captain was charged Friday with animal cruelty after an incident last month in which an explosive-rigged fish was fed to a brown pelican.

In the complaint filed by the district attorney’s office in Long Beach Municipal Court, Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigators said Bruce H. Wisberger, 22, inserted a small bomb--roughly equivalent to a quarter-stick of dynamite--into a piece of bait and tossed it toward a flock of hovering birds.

A brown pelican, which is a protected species, caught the fish and was killed by the explosion. The incident occurred May 16 outside of the Long Beach Harbor as Wisberger’s boat returned from an overnight excursion to Santa Catalina Island, the complaint said.

Conviction on the misdemeanor charge is punishable by a fine of up to $20,000 and one year in county jail, said district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.