CDFW wildlife officers in San Diego County recently wrapped up a successful investigation on the selling of yellow fin and blue fin tuna taken under the authority of a sport fishing license. Under California law, it is unlawful to sell or purchase any fish taken on any boat that carries sport fisherman. A commercial license is needed to sell fish. Acting on a tip, wildlife officers contacted the suspects and made arrangements to purchase tuna offered for sale. Throughout the transaction, the subjects freely admitted they knew what they were doing was illegal. One of the subjects conveyed to undercover officers that he had taken nearly thousand pounds of tuna during a recent fishing trip, noting, “I have way more fish than I can eat.” The suspects sold approximately 60 pounds of processed tuna to undercover wildlife officers for a pre-determined price of $300. A formal complaint for selling sport-caught fish (a violation of Fish and Game Code, section 7121) will be filed against the suspects with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. If convicted, they face up to an $8,000 fine and up to six months in jail.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 22:36:19 +0000