Wardens: Poacher Hid Lobster in Pants

People go to great lengths to hide a lobster they illegally caught, but the actions of one man in Redondo Beach may have taken the cake.

One man was recently caught with a California Spiny Lobster hidden in his pants, according to California Department of Fish and Game Warden Michele Budish.

"We observed the suspect for some time, followed him on a bus and then observed him taking a lobster out of his pants and passing it off to the occupants of a car," said Budish.

Budish and fellow Warden Kory Collins said that attempts to conceal a lobster is nothing new.

"We've seen lobster hidden in gas cans, under the hood of a car, in baby strollers and in diapers," the wardens said. "One of the most common tactics we see is parents handing lobster off to their kids. The kids are then directed to take the illegal bug to a nearby car and hide it so that when the poachers leave the scene of the crime, they are clean."

The two wardens recently busted five accused poachers in the city on suspicion of before the 2011 season opened.

The wardens said they get their best intel through observation.

"We can watch suspects hide lobster, take over their limits and then move in to question them," said Collins.

The biggest violation, by far, is fishing without a license, according to the DFG. Lobster anglers must have a license and a lobster report card to fish for lobster unless they're fishing from a pier; however, a lobster report card is still required for those fishing from a pier.

"We are here to protect the resource and make sure that there are plenty for a long time to come," said Budish.

Regarding the man with the lobster down his pants, Pete Thomas from Pete Thomas Outdoors said the poacher should be glad the bug wasn't a Maine lobster. The difference between California spiny lobsters and their East Coast cousins? Maine lobsters have two powerful claws—probably not something a person would want down his pants.