Fisherman Get Jail Time For Illegal Poaching At Big Creek

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA -- Four spearfishermen have been sentenced to 30 days in county jail for poaching fish within the Big Creek State Marine Reserve, Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo announced Thursday.

Prosecutors said Dennis Marshall Lewis, 23, Darryl Lycurgus, 22, Daniel Gordon Gross, 22, and Nicholas Ta, 26, each pleaded no contest to taking fish with the reserve.

The four men will also serve three years of informal probation and each pay a fine of $1,000.

On March 19, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife received a tip there were people illegally spearfishing within the Big Creek State Marin Reserve.

A witness confronted the men, and they changed out of their wetsuits, packed up their equipment and drove away in a truck.

The witness provided officers with the truck's license plate number, and the vehicle was pulled over a short time later.

Prosecutors said the four men admitted to spearfishing, and officers located 15 fish including sheephead, lingcods, vermilion rockfish, cabezons and blue rockfish were found in the bed of the truck.

--By Bay City News Service/Shutterstock image