Incident occurred on Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation on July 19, LDWF says
Agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries arrested four men on Sunday for alleged oyster violations on the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation, which is closed for the 2014-15 season, according to a press release.
Samuel Dobson, 35, of Houma; Spencer Callahan, 22, of Houma; Luciano Desendez, 42, of San Leon, Texas and Dean Porche, 37, of Houma, were arrested for taking oysters during a closed season on the reservation, the release states. The captain of the vessel, Dobson, also was cited for violating log book and running light requirements.
Agents were on patrol Sunday evening when they allegedly observed Dobson’s boat actively dredging for oysters. They seized the vessel and oyster dredges, and returned two sacks of oysters to the water, according to the release.
With this incident, the release states Dobson violated the terms of his probation, which had prohibited him from being on an oyster-harvesting vessel for 10 years. Agents had cited him on Dec. 18, 2014 for harvesting oysters from Sister Lake, and he pleaded guilty on May 19, 2015, the release states.
Taking oysters during a closed season brings a $900 to $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Violating the running light requirement brings up to a $50 fine and up to 15 days in jail, while violating the logbook sanitation code requirements carries up to a $25 fine and up to 10 days in jail.
