A Florida Keys commercial fisherman has been sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to multiple lobster violations tied to illegal harvesting practices during the 2025 spiny lobster season.
According to reporting from the Miami Herald, Monroe County Judge Albert Kelley sentenced 52-year-old Raidel Alvarez Perez to 30 days in jail after Perez pleaded guilty to 30 lobster-related violations. The sentence includes 30 days for each count, to be served concurrently, along with six months of probation, a mandatory Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) course, and a $2,838 fine.
Perez pleaded guilty to 16 counts of possessing wrung lobster tails while on the water and seven counts of possessing undersized spiny lobster. Under Florida law, all spiny lobsters must be brought back to shore whole.
The violations stem from a March 22, 2025, encounter near Woman Key, about nine miles west of Key West, during what began as a routine resource inspection by FWC officers. Perez was working as a mate aboard a 40-foot commercial lobster vessel when officers initiated a stop using blue flashing lights.
According to the arrest report cited by the Miami Herald, officers observed someone aboard the vessel throw a red bucket overboard as law enforcement approached. One officer boarded the lobster boat while another retrieved the bucket, reportedly discovering between 15 and 20 wrung lobster tails inside.
FWC officers later found seven undersized spiny lobsters aboard the vessel. Florida regulations require the carapace of a legal spiny lobster to measure more than three inches long. If separated from the body, lobster tails must exceed five and a half inches in length to meet legal harvest requirements.
The vessel’s captain reportedly told officers he was unaware of what the crew had harvested because he operated the vessel while the mates worked traps from the stern. Another crew member denied knowledge of the illegal catch, and authorities said Perez was determined to be in possession of the lobsters found aboard the boat.
Florida’s commercial lobster season runs annually from Aug. 6 through March 31. Florida spiny lobster supports a major commercial fishery in the Keys, with product shipped throughout the U.S. and international seafood markets, including Asia.
“These laws are designed to protect one of the Florida Keys’ most important natural resources and preserve the long-term sustainability of our fisheries,” Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield said in a statement. “Illegal harvesting practices threaten conservation efforts and undermine the many commercial fishermen who follow the law every day.”
