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A lobster poacher -- or, as they say in my hometown of Boston, a lobstah poachah -- in Orange County who was caught in January with more than three times the legal limit of lobsters was fined $20,000 and had to spend seven days in jail.
City News Service reports that 30-year-old Marbel Para of Romoland was picking the little red fellows up on Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve on January 15. It's perfectly legal to catch them by hand for your own devices, but you can only take seven a day.
Para and his companion had 47.
Not only that, but 42 of those lobsters were smaller than the legal limit -- they have to be at least eight inches before they can be yanked from their natural habitat and eaten.
Despite the fact that he was with a friend, Para took the fall for the incident. In addition to his fine and jail time, he was forced to give up all his gear and won't be allowed near protected areas anymore.
Somewhere, a group of lobsters is having a party.
