Wildlife officials in California have put a stop to multiple poachers who targeted two of the most restricted species in the state.
What’s happening?
In early June, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife took to Facebook to announce the success of multiple operations that put a stop to illegal fishing activity. The CDFW confirmed that sturgeon and salmon poaching activities took place during the closures of regional fisheries.
These activities allegedly included well-organized criminal networks that were spotted utilizing “advanced countersurveillance techniques.” According to the CDFW, the poaching operations underscored the “continued high demand and profitability of illegal caviar trafficking.”
But through surveillance, compliance checks, and routine vehicle stops, wildlife officers were able to detain and arrest several individuals accused of poaching. During the course of a Dungeness crab trafficking investigation, authorities were able to come across the primary suspect, who was also involved in salmon poaching “amid the American River closure.”…