Fishing in unusual spot and what they caught put 2 anglers in hot water: cops
Two men are accused of breaking into a Florida Keys aquarium, catching a legally-protected game fish and taking it out of the water, causing its death, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives say the pair burglarized Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters around 2:50 a.m. on May 25 and fished in the Marathon establishment’s enclosed lagoon, catching a 55-inch tarpon.
They removed the large fish from the water and took photos of themselves with it before throwing it back into the lagoon, according to the sheriff’s office. When aquarium staff opened the business the next day, they found the fish dead in the basin, according to an arrest report.
Detectives watched security-camera footage that showed them enter the aquarium’s property through the mangroves of a neighboring business, according to the report. The footage also showed them fishing and holding the tarpon for several minutes.
The arrest report says the tarpon was worth $7,100.
Detectives identified the men as 25-year-old Derrick Lee Vivian, from Fort Myers, and Christopher Jeffrey Smith, 20, who lives in Marathon in the Middle Keys, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Detectives arrested Vivian on a warrant in November. He is being represented by the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, which does not comment on pending cases. Detectives arrested Smith on Wednesday. Information about his bond and legal representation was not immediately available.
They’re each charged with burglary and illegally harvesting a tarpon. Unless going for a state or world record, Florida law prohibits the removal from the water of a tarpon less than 40 inches in length.
Tarpon can reach lengths of up to eight feet and weigh up to 300 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
