Illegal fishing in Keys halted in ‘no-take’ zone. Locals caught with 700 pounds, cops say
Two Florida Keys residents were among a trio of fishermen busted this week, accused of illegally taking reef fish in a no-take zone in the waters of the Dry Tortugas off Key West, police said.
About 728 pounds of fish were seized, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The boat’s captain, Michael Conrad, 30, and Michael Hilliard, 28, both of Cudjoe Key, were working with Caleb Greenwood, 22, of Lakeland, the agency said.
Efforts to reach the men Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.
The three now face several possible federal citations, including anchoring and fishing in the reserve, interference with law enforcement and illegally harvesting amberjack during the closed season in federal waters.
No arrests were made because the case was transferred to the federal government, said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Robert Dube.
A federal vessel monitoring system showed the commercial fishing boat Twister had been in the reserve for 13 hours. Wildlife officers found the boat at about 3:45 p.m. May 4.
The men were on the boat, which operates out of Big Pine Key, and fishing in the Tortugas South Ecological reserve, FWC said.
It’s a federally protected area where fishing, diving, snorkeling and anchoring are prohibited.
This is FWC’s fourth case of illegal fishing in the Dry Tortugas since early April, but the first in which Keys residents were allegedly involved, Dube said.
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