SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Three people settled claims related to illegal sport fishing and false advertising after selling fish caught in marine protected areas off the coast of Santa Barbara Island.
In 2020 and 2021, Conner Mitchell, Taylor Grant, and Cody Martin engaged in illegal fishing practices, including hauling in fish from the Marine Protected Areas off the coast of Santa Barbara Island stated a press release from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
Mitchell and Grant later sold their catches at Dudley Market, a high-end restaurant in Venice, California owned by Mitchell, and falsely advertised the fish as traceable, sustainable, and lawfully sourced detailed the local prosecutor's office.
Cody Martin of El Segundo operated the commercial fishing vessel Predator on behalf of Mitchell and Grant and supplied fish to Dudley Market as well noted the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
Wildlife officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife served search warrants on cellular devices belonging to Mitchell and Martin as well as the chart plotter aboard Predator and found evidence of repeated violations of commercial fishing and seafood industry laws explained the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
California law prohibits sport-caught fish from being sold commercially and fish taken by a commercial vessel must be documented on an electronic fish ticket before being removed from the vessel so that...
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