Poachers busted for harvesting hundreds of crabs from SLO County beach
Two poachers were cited Monday after they were caught taking hundreds of small shore crabs from a San Luis Obispo County beach.
A California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer patrolling Estero Bluffs State Park first noticed the pair collecting crabs in an intertidal zone and placing them in a small plastic bag, the agency said in a Facebook post.
As they left and returned to the bluff trail, the officer saw one remove a sweatshirt and “wrap it around the bag in an apparent attempt to conceal its contents,” Fish and Wildlife said.
The officer then contacted the pair at the top of the trail and asked to inspect the bag.
“Upon inspection, the officer immediately observed an extremely large number of striped shore crabs inside,” the agency said.
In total, the pair had gathered 351 striped shore crabs of various sizes, Fish and Wildlife said. That exceeded the legal limit by 281, it said.
In addition, neither person had a valid fishing license on hand either, according to the post.
Both people were cited for fishing without a license and exceeding the legal bag limit.
“All crabs were seized and returned alive to the ocean,” the agency said. “This case highlights how quickly overharvest can occur in intertidal areas and the lengths individuals may go to conceal violations.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Poachers busted for harvesting hundreds of crabs from SLO County beach."
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