Cost for Short Lobster Citation

February 14, 2019

Question: I was lobster fishing recently and didn’t realize until I was pulling up my hoop nets that I’d left my measuring gauge in the car by mistake. I was sure that the lobster I caught was of legal size, but when the game warden measured it, it was short. I am worried how much this is going to cost me. Can you please give me an idea so that I can prepare for it? (James P., Huntington Beach)

Answer: We are not able to speculate on the total amount as courts set their own fees on top of base fines and those amounts can differ from court to court. Until you receive notification from the court, here’s what you can do. First, find your citation number (which begins with two letters). It should appear in the upper right corner and the bottom left corner of your citation. Then, in the bottom left-hand corner of the citation, look for the phone number of the court where your citation will be filed. Call that number and give them your citation number. They may be able to look up your case and give you the correct fine amount that you can expect to pay.

Please allow at least two to four weeks from the time of you received your citation for the ticket to be filed and for it to show up in their system.

Easy 500-1000$, but only if you get caught haha. definitely not worth it. Mission Bay has greatest catch in CA, and its not like they are hard to find.