Lobster poachers pinched in Santa Monica; crustaceans stuffed in bags, backpacks, a baby stroller
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A clawed caper at the Santa Monica Pier went awry despite “sophisticated” attempts by suspects to get away with poaching roughly three dozen spiny lobsters, authorities said.
During the operation, officers and specially trained canine teams from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife located lobsters stashed in duffel bags, backpacks, vehicles and even a baby stroller, authorities said in a Facebook post Tuesday.
Authorities ultimately seized 34 lobsters, including several egg-bearing females, that were later returned to the ocean.
In all, six people were arrested the evening of July 8 on suspicion of violations including the “take of lobster out of season, exceeding the daily bag limits of lobster, take of undersized lobster, take of lobster by hook and line and possession of more than triple the daily bag limit of lobster,” according to Fish and Wildlife. Violating these rules can carry penalties of up to $1,000 per violation or up to one year in jail, authorities added.
California’s last spiny lobster season opened in October 2025 and closed on March 18. The upcoming season will begin on Oct. 2 and run through March 17, 2027, the department said.
During that period, licensed fishers can take up to seven spiny lobsters a day.
Authorities said the poaching suspects were apprehended after wildlife officers found them while on night patrol. The department added that “taking lobsters out of season is a common problem all throughout Southern California and the Santa Monica Pier is known for this type of activity.”
California has managed the spiny lobster for more than 100 years. The creatures are a vital natural resource and play “an important role in our ecosystem and help with the overall health of our oceans,” wildlife officials said.
The crustacean also has a sizable recreational and commercial fishery, which pumps significant money into the state’s economy, the department said.
Each female spiny lobster produces one brood of 50,000 to 800,000 eggs per year, which they carry for around 10 weeks, the CDFW said.
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