SANTA MONICA – On July 14, 2026, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that its officers from across Southern California recently came together to apprehend lobster poachers at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles County. The spiny lobster season closed on March 18, but that has not deterred those who choose to violate the law.

During this enforcement operation, wildlife officers and their specially trained canines located lobsters hidden in duffel bags, backpacks, vehicles and a baby stroller. Officers seized 34 lobsters as evidence, which included several egg-bearing females, and returned the lobsters back to the ocean alive.

Each female produces one brood of between 50,000 to 800,000 eggs per year, which it carries for approximately 10 weeks. The loss of an egg-bearing female lobster can have a substantial impact on the health of the lobster fishery and directly impacts legal anglers.

During this operation, six suspects were arrested for violations that included:

• 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.

The penalties for such crimes are severe – up to $1,000 per violation or up to one year in jail.

“Kudos to the dedicated wildlife officers and their K-9 partners for protecting a valuable marine resource, safeguarding future generations of California spiny lobster, and ensuring those who chose to violate our conservation laws are held accountable,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.