A North Carolina man was arrested Saturday for harvesting undersized lobsters, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Lower Keys Marine Deputy Luis Guiardinu was on patrol around 2:14 p.m. near Sunshine Key when he spotted several people harvesting lobsters, the sheriff’s office said in a Sunday statement. Joe Lopez, 37, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was found in possession of four undersized lobsters and taken to jail.
It is illegal to harvest lobster in Florida using a speargun. During season, the carapace of the lobster, the part that is not the tail, must be longer than 3 inches. The regular recreational and commercial spiny lobster season runs from Aug. 6 through March 31.
The FWC’s hotline to report conservation violations is 888-404-3922 or online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.
Miami Herald staff writer David Goodhue contributed to this report.