FWC Officers Discover 129 Undersized Wrung Spiny Lobster Tails, Charge Three With Conservation Felony
By Space Coast Daily // October 27, 2021
Three Men Face Felony Conservation Charges
(Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) – When three men began to offload their catch and sell to their buyer, eight undersized lobsters were found in their live catch.
As a result, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers boarded the commercial fishing vessel in the Florida Keys and conducted a resource inspection.
“During the inspection, officers discovered a five-gallon bucket containing 129 wrung Spiny Florida lobster tails, 127 of which were undersized,” said FWC officials.
“Upon further investigation, the buyer on land was found to be in possession of four undersized Mangrove Snapper and two live Queen Conch.”
FWC said the buyer received a notice to appear, and the three subjects were transported to jail and each charged with numerous misdemeanor counts of wrung spiny Florida lobster tails on the water, possession of undersized lobster, and one felony count each for possession of 100 or more undersized spiny Florida lobster.
Arrested were Elmis Ruiz Recano, 45, Blas Ismar Santos Pompa, 30, and Amaury Abreu Gonzalez, 49, and were each being held in jail on a $50,550 bond.