Louisiana Department Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents arrested two St. Bernard men for alleged oyster violations on March 5, 2018 in St. Bernard Parish.
Agents arrested Nicholas Russell, 21, and Dalton Kieff, 21, for unlawfully taking oysters from a private lease and failing to have written permission.
Agents were on patrol south of the MRGO channel when they observed Russell in a vessel actively dredging for oysters in an area not leased to him around 10:30 a.m.
Agents seized a half sack of oysters and returned them to the water. Agents also seized one oyster dredge and placed a forfeiture order on Russell's vessel.
Agents also found that after talking to the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office that both men had active warrants for their arrests. Agents then booked the men into the St. Bernard Parish Jail.
Unlawfully taking oysters off of a private lease and failing to have written permission both carry up to a $950 fine and 120 days in jail.
The men could also face having their oyster harvester licenses revoked by LDWF for up to one year. The violators could also be sentenced to perform 40 hours of community service and only be allowed to harvest oysters from a vessel that is equipped with a vessel monitoring device for up to one year.