California Poacher Busted with Over 150 Pounds of Illegally Harvested Salmon Roe

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)recently announceda slew of eye-popping poaching busts involving two of the state’s most heavily restricted—and sought after—marine species: chinook salmon and white sturgeon.

The most noteworthy case stemmed from an investigation into a Dungeness crab trafficking ring that led officials to discover that their lead suspect was also poaching salmon from the American River. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was found with over 150 pounds of salmon roe meant for the black market. Officials say that collecting that much roe required poaching at least 75 salmon.

Salmon fishing on the American River, which is a tributary of the Sacramento River—and throughout California—has been shuttered for the past two years due to low population estimates. This year, the state is holding a highly regulated recreational ocean salmon season as well as sport fishing on the Mokelumne, Feather, and American rivers, beginning in mid-July. The CDFW did not disclose the potential charges that the salmon roe trafficker will face, but local anglers who’ve had to wait two years to fish for chinook salmon will certainly be hoping for serious punishments.

Meanwhile, the CDFW says its Special Operations Unit and Delta Bay Enhanced Enforcement Program have also been looking for white sturgeon poachers. The state’s white sturgeon fishing is currently catch-and-release only as biologists work to assess whether the species should be listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

Two angling groups on the Sacramento River were observed tying off illegally possessed sturgeon 100 yards from where they were fishing “in an effort to evade wildlife officers.” Officials issued citations and released the fish in both instances, and charges are pending.

Meanwhile, two other individuals were formally charged with the take of an endangered or threatened species for sturgeon poaching. One of those accused poachers had a criminal record of wildlife crimes involving illegally snagging salmon on the American River.

California has dealt with sturgeon poaching long before the species was closed to catch-and-keep angling. White sturgeon, which are a notoriously slow growing fish, are prized for their caviar. In 2022, for instance, CDFW uncovereda massive poaching and black-market operationinvolving at least eight individuals.

“Wildlife officers’ patrols confirm sturgeon and salmon poaching continue during the fisheries’ closures,” wrote a CDFW spokesperson this week. “Well-organized criminal networks were observed employing advanced counter surveillance techniques, underscoring the continued high demand and profitability of illegal caviar trafficking.”

Images via California Department of Fish and Wildlife Facebook.

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