At the Florida Keys, law enforcement agencies take illegal fishing and illegal wildlife feeding very seriously.
The island chain is where you are You can get prison time For taking small sea breams and spiny lobsters that are out of season.
Feed the pelicans It can also have legal consequences.
One tourist learned this in a difficult way last week.
Dominique E. Siretti Jr., 57, in Alpharetta, Georgia, landed in prison after being imprisoned. Mahi-mahi According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, pelicans hanging around a cleaning station in Key West Marina scrapped mahi-mahi fillets.
On April 23, Siretti was at the city’s marina, 1801 N. Roosevelt Boulevard. FWC officials said he saw another man throwing fish at the pelican. This is illegal in Florida.
A state wildlife official said he had to appear at the Monroe Courthouse in May because he tried to give him a notice of appearance.
But when Ciletti became warlike and screamed, things escalated, FWC said.
“I’m not going back here to go to court, it’s a bull —-!” According to the arrest report, Siretti said.
Refusing to accept a quote is a misdemeanor.
FWC officials handcuffed Ciletti and took him to a county prison in Stock Island. Ciletti was released the same day after issuing a $ 328 cash bond.
Efforts to reach Ciletti have failed. His lawyer, listed in court records, did not immediately reply to the email on Friday evening.
Siretti will appear in court on May 11 in front of Judge Marc Wilson of Monroe County.
Another man, FWC said, threw a fish at a charterboat companion, the Pelican, and successfully signed his quote.
According to an FWC press release, the two men were throwing whole dolphin carcasses and small pieces into pelicans, but did not identify who threw what.
It is illegal to feed pelicans Cause serious harm to them..
According to the FWC, carcasses and sharp bones of fish can pierce the throat, injure or kill, or get caught in the pouch. The FWC requires that unwanted fish be dumped in a trash can with a lid.
Pelicans also tend to gather in places where people feed them, which puts them in places where they are likely to get caught in fishing lines or get hooked.