
Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale law enforcement officials conduct a boarding on a pleasure craft in Fort Lauderdale, July 26, 2018. (Coast Guard Photo)
MIAMI — A Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale crew and Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officials conducted a law enforcement boarding on a pleasure craft that led to the release of egg-bearing lobsters in Fort Lauderdale, Thursday.
The boarding took place during the 2018 Lobster Mini-Season, July 25-26, during which divers are allowed to hunt lobsters before the commercial hunting season. During the mini-season, station Fort Lauderdale crews spent a total of 26 hours on the water, conducting 40 boardings and checking over 450 lobsters.
“The collaborative efforts of our federal, state and local partners were tremendous, and we thank our partner agencies for doing outstanding work with these boardings,” said Lt. Derek Wallin, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale. “Enforcement of fishery laws and safety regulations was our primary focus along with public education during this event.”