Red Rooster III fined in over-limit bust

October 22, 2018

Wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) made a significant over-limit bust on the captain of the Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) Red Rooster III, Inc. out of San Diego Harbor. San Diego Bay is the home of the largest commercial sport fishing boat fleet in the world. Vessel operators take passengers anywhere from a few miles off shore all the way down into Mexican waters.

Wildlife officers from the San Diego region received a tip that the Red Rooster III was returning from a six-day trip into Mexican waters with significant over-limits of several species of fish. Mexican law allows possession of three daily bag limits of several species of fish for multi-day trips. Those limits are enforced upon the vessel’s return to California. When wildlife officers boarded the vessel, they were met with cooperation of the crew and captain and an admission of the over-limits. Wildlife officers allowed each passenger to leave with possession of their three daily bag limits worth of fish, then seized the rest.

The over-limits of fish were separated and counted by species. Wildlife officers seized 96 yellowfin tuna, 46 dorado, and 57 yellowtail -- totaling 199 fish over the legal possession limits of three daily bag limits.

The September 2017 case was settled in recent weeks when the vessel’s captain plead guilty to possession of fish illegally taken outside the state and importation of fish without declaration. He was sentenced to five days of public service work and $40,000 in fines, $37,000 of which has already been paid to the court.

“The vast majority of CPFV operators abide by the law and offer anglers excellent fishing opportunities,” said David Bess, Deputy Director and Chief of the Law Enforcement Division. “We are thankful for the citizen tip that helped wildlife officers make this case.”