A 42‑year‑old man from Hamilton, Ontario, faces several misdemeanor charges in Florida after an alleged poaching incident involving spiny lobster.
On July 12, a wildlife conservation officer observed the suspect using a speargun while his boat was secured to a mooring ball within the Alligator Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area, part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Authorities booked the man on two counts of catching lobster out of season, two counts of spearing lobster, one count of harvesting an undersized lobster, and one count of harvesting an egg‑bearing lobster.
He was released on a $3,000 bond and is scheduled to appear remotely before a judge next week.
The sanctuary’s regulations prohibit fishing, lobstering, and anchoring within its preservation zones to protect coral reefs and marine life.
During the encounter, the suspect handed the officer a plastic bag containing a schoolmaster snapper and two lobsters—one undersized and one egg‑bearing—both of which had been speared, a method expressly forbidden by state law.
The suspect claimed he was aware his boat was moored inside the sanctuary but asserted the fish and lobsters were taken outside the protected area and that he was unfamiliar with lobster regulations.
Florida’s spiny lobster mini‑season runs on July 29‑30, while the regular recreational and commercial season extends from August 6 through March 31.
