ISLAMORADA, Fla. – A Ukrainian man was arrested in the Florida Keys, accused of poaching lobsters out of season.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Viktor Popov, 37, was spear fishing for lobsters under a bridge in Islamorada.
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A state wildlife officer was called by the U.S. Coast Guard to investigate after two men were spotted snorkeling without any diver flags in the water.
It turned out that one of the men was in the country illegally, so he was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and held for deportation.
The officer returned to the area where the men were snorkeling and discovered a pole spear, gloves and six wrung lobster tails hidden under some rocks near the water's edge.
Popov then confessed that the lobsters were his, the FWC said. He was arrested and booked at a Monroe County jail.