A Santa Barbara Commercial Fisherman was convicted after he pled guilty to several charges, including poaching, or the harvesting of wildlife out of season. This would be the mans third poaching conviction since 2014.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) charged Christopher Miller, 67, of Los Alamos, after they say he falsified commercial fishing records, harvesting lobster out of season, before he would then abandon over 150 commercial lobster traps around the Santa Barbara Harbor as well as Santa Cruz Island.
Miller was ordered to pay restitution, in the amount of $19,340. CDFW said it took them and a nongovernmental organization months to clear the abandoned gear.
