Houston man jailed after getting a jump on mini-lobster season

Posted: Jul 29, 2020 / 08:59 AM CDT / Updated: Jul 29, 2020 / 09:00 AM CDT

[MIAMI – JULY 25: Jason C. works on cleaning lobsters he along with friends caught on the first day of the mini lobster hunting season July 25, 2007 in Miami, Florida. The two-day mini-season runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The regular season runs from August 6 to March 31. The mini-season bag limit is six lobsters per person per day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park and 12 per person in the rest of the state (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

ISLAMORADA, Fla. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say a Texas man landed in jail when police in the Florida Keys caught him poaching lobsters on the day before the start of spiny lobster miniseason.

The annual two-day event began Wednesday and runs through Thursday night. Monroe County Sheriff’s officials say 43-year-old Yuliver Rodriguez-Tejeda of Houston got a head start Tuesday.

He was arrested on multiple counts of possession of out-of-season lobsters, undersized lobsters and possessing over-the-bag limit lobsters The mini-season typically draws thousands of people to hunt for their bag limit of spiny lobsters.

The regular commercial lobster season begins Aug. 6.