Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents arrested two men for alleged oyster violations on Oct. 20 in St. Bernard Parish.
Agents arrested Martin Carbajal Jr., 28, of St. Bernard, and Bryan Neitzschman, 27, of Violet, for unlawfully taking oysters from a private lease and failing to have written permission. Carbajal was also cited for violating the log book sanitation code.
Agents on patrol spotted a vessel around 10:30 a.m. being operated by Carbajal actively dredging for oysters in an area not leased to him.
Agents booked the men into the St. Bernard Parish Jail. Agents seized one sack of oysters and returned them to the water. Agents also seized one oyster dredge and placed a forfeiture order on Carbajal’s vessel.
Unlawfully taking oysters off a private lease and failure to have written permission carries up to a $950 fine and 120 days in jail. Violating the log book sanitation code carries a $25 fine and up to 10 days in jail.
Agents participating in the case were Sr. Agent Blain Wagner, Patrick Dempsey and Chelsea Kling.