Accused Poachers Caught with 47 Lobsters

Two divers were caught with 47 California spiny lobsters off the coast of Laguna Beach early Sunday morning. One of them will be charged for poaching by the state Department of Fish and Game.

The diver who claimed responsibility was Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland in Riverside County.

They were diving in a protected area in the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve near that has been off-limits for Lobster fishing for years, the DFG said. But this was the first major violation in Southern California under the state's new laws establishing Marine Protected Areas that went into affect Jan. 1, the DFG said.

In addition to fishing outside legal areas, all but five of the lobsters were undersize, the DFG said. Also, legal lobster fishers can only keep seven lobsters per diver.

Wardens safely returned the lobsters to the ocean following the citation, the DFG said.