California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers caught two commercial fishermen operating in a marine protected area off San Diego County. The officers confiscated dozens of fish and arrested the subjects for illegally fishing in the Swamis State Marine Conservation Area.
According to the department’s statement, they had been eyeing these fishermen for days, as they were believed to be repeat offenders with previous violations on their rap sheets. So as the pair motored offshore to take more fish from the conservation area, authorities were watching their every move with an aircraft high above.
The “suspects were actively fishing and retaining fish within the Marine Protected Area,” the statement reads. “Officers continued surveillance and ultimately contacted the vessel when it returned to port.”…