A longtime Santa Barbara fisherman has permanently lost his commercial lobster license after years of repeated violations, the California Fish and Game Commission announced.
The commission revoked the license and lobster operator permit of 68-year-old Christopher James Miller for abandoning more than 150 lobster traps around Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands, leaving gear in the water after the season ended. Miller also filed inaccurate catch records.
Captain Danny Lengning with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said abandoned traps create a cycle of harm to marine life.
“The bait, as it's supposed to, attracts the marine life. The marine life then goes into the trap and gets stuck, it then dies inside the trap and then becomes the bait itself, which then attracts more marine life. And so this cycle kind of continues on in perpetuity.” Lengning said.
Lengning said that for the 156 abandoned traps recovered, the total number of marine organisms found inside—both live and dead—was more than 1,500. The marine mammals trapped included the California Spiny lobster, various crab species, Turban snails, Kellets Whelk, Sea Urchin, various fin fish, Horn Shark, and even a Cormorant, a marine bird that dives underwater for food.
Lengning also warned that the vertical lines attached to the traps can entangle whales and other marine mammals that migrate along the Central Coast.
“Keeping the traps out of the water during specific times of the year when the seasons are closed really helps cut on marine life entanglement,” he said.
Miller may no longer participate in commercial lobster fishing anywhere in California. Officials say the action is meant to protect local waters, preserve marine life, and send a warning to other fishermen who might violate the rules.
