Florida conservation officers made a huge bust near Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys. On a single boat, they caught a group of poachers red-handed with 334 lane and yellowtail snapper. That’s 274 snapper over the bag limit!
Upon approach, the officers saw the subjects actively fishing from the stern of what appears to be a commercial vessel and observed numerous snapper lying on the deck, with more hidden in the freezer hold. Officers also found 22 egg-bearing blue crabs and two spiny lobster tails, during the closed season.
According to a Florida Wildlife Resources Commission Facebook post, the subjects onboard were cited accordingly. Let’s hope prosecutors throw the book at them!