By the California Department of Fish and Game

California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens cited a Southern California man early Sunday morning for poaching dozens of lobsters inside a Marine Protected Area (MPA).

Wardens observed Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland (Riverside County) and a companion SCUBA diving in the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve after midnight on Jan. 15.

This location, which is in the Heisler Park area off the coast of Laguna Beach, has historically been closed to lobster fishing for years (even prior to the establishment of the MPA).

After the divers left the water and returned to their vehicle, the wardens made contact with them and discovered 47 California spiny lobsters in their possession. In addition to illegally taking the lobsters from an MPA, the divers were well over the legal possession limit of seven lobsters per diver, and all but five of the lobsters were undersize.

Para claimed that all the lobsters were his, and his companion was not cited.

This is the first major violation that DFG wardens have cited in any of the Southern California MPAs since they went into effect in Southern California on Jan. 1, 2012.

The MPAs were created through the Marine Life Protection Act in order to simplify and strengthen existing marine reserves and fishing regulations to allow recovery of fish populations that have been in severe decline.

“The vast majority of our fishing and diving constituents are responsible and law-abiding,” said DFG Assistant Chief Paul Hamdorff. “It is always our goal to catch those who choose to intentionally abuse the resources of this state for their own benefit.”

Wardens cited Para for several poaching violations including unlawful take and illegal possession of lobster, and possession of overlimits and undersized animals.

A report will be filed with the Orange County District Attorney and Para may face additional charges related to this case.
All the lobsters were confiscated, photographed as evidence and then safely returned to the ocean.

To view the original article, click here.

Written by Susan Shroder from Sign On San Diego

SAN DIEGO — The deaths of two men in separate scuba-diving incidents have both been determined to be accidental, the Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Autopsies were done on both victims. Results of autopsies can be delayed due to toxicology tests. Examinations are also done on diving gear.

The body of Jimmy Somphirigna Tanovan, 35, of Oceanside, was found Oct. 9 floating in rocks near the shoreline of the Children’s Pool in La Jolla. The other diver, James Daniel Kinane, 56, of San Diego, died on July 2, the Medical Examiner’s Office said.

The autopsies determined both men also had cardiovascular disease, a medical examiner’s investigator said Friday.

A man who had talked to Tanovan several hours before his body was found said that Tanovan had told him he was going diving for lobsters.

Kinane had been diving with friends off the coast of Mission Beach when he was found in distress at the surface of the water, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. His friends jumped in the water to help him, but he became unresponsive.

Paramedics and lifeguards from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department tried to revive him, but Kinane was pronounced dead at lifeguard headquarters.

According to a published obituary, Kinane was a U.S. Navy veteran and a volunteer diver with the California Science Center.

Tanovan also was a Navy veteran and was a musician, according to a memorial post on scubaboard.com.

The original article can be found here.