A Florida man faces as many as eight felony counts after admitting to raiding commercial lobster traps while diving with his father.
James William Goughler, 43, was arrested by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers in the Florida Keys on Friday night. He and his father, James Larry Goughler, were observed diving beneath buoys that mark the location of spiny lobster traps.
The younger Goughler admitted to stealing lobsters from two traps and physically inspecting six other traps, according to the Bradenton Herald.
He was booked on eight counts of interfering with traps deployed legally by commercial fishermen.
FWC patrol officers say both men, dressed in dive gear, were towed from buoy to buoy by an unnamed captain of a small boat, while officers watched from an unmarked vessel.
The son and father were observed diving beneath at least five lobster buoys.
Thomas Tafoya, one of the FWC patrol officers, wrote in his case report: “I could clearly see both divers directly above a commercial lobster trap.”
Goughler was released from jail on Saturday, after posting bond. It remains unclear whether his father or the boat captain also face charges. (At the time of this post the FWC had not responded to an inquiry by For The Win Outdoors.)
Florida’s spiny lobster season opened Aug. 6 and runs through March 31. Fisherman are required to possess a special license to set traps.
Commercial fishermen harvest about 6 million pounds of lobster per season, worth about $20 million. In terms of dollars, the spiny lobster fishery is Florida’s largest fishery.
