This browser does not support the Video element.
Tips & tricks for lobster diving
FOX 13 photojournalist Jason Wright went along on a lobster dive to show us the rules, along with the best tips and tricks, if you want to go on the hunt.
GRASSY KEY, Fla. - Deputies in the Keys arrested a man they say stole lobsters out of traps hours before the beginning of commercial and regular lobster season.
The backstory:
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, marine deputies were on patrol around 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday when they saw a blacked-out 17-foot Mako boat with a lobster trap aboard.
The deputies said Dorgis Rodriguez Lugones, 40, dumped the trap in the water after being commanded not to do so.
READ: Want to take part in lobster season? Here's what to know before you dive
He then picked up a cooler and dumped approximately 30 lobsters back into the water and placed his hands on his head, according to MCSO.
Rodriguez Lugones was detained, and the trap was retrieved from the water.
He was taken to jail, and the boat was impounded pending the investigation.
Rodriguez Lugones was charged with trap molestation, possession of out-of-season lobster, and tampering with evidence.
What they're saying:
"I want to thank Marine Deputies Willie Guerra and Luis Guiardinu who made this case, for their continued hard work to protect our environment and warn others who are thinking of committing this crime — you will be arrested, and you will go to jail," said Sheriff Rick Ramsay.
The Source: This story was written with information posted by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.