The California Fish and Game Commission has revoked the commercial fishing licenses and permits of two fishermen after extensive histories of violations in the lobster and Dungeness crab fisheries.
At its June 11-12, 2025, meeting, the Commission – acting on California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recommendations – revoked the commercial fishing license and lobster operator permit of Christopher James Miller, 68, of Santa Barbara, and the commercial fishing license and Dungeness crab permit of Ronald Ghera, 45, of Fortuna.
Miller’s violations, spanning a decade, included abandoning 156 lobster traps around Santa Barbara and the Northern Channel Islands, leaving traps in the water after the season closure, failing to retrieve baited traps and filing inaccurate catch records.
Ghera’s record included abandoning 94 crab traps after the 2023 season and 74 after the 2024 season, failing to service traps within the required 96 hours, failing to submit mandatory reports, and fishing with untagged traps and improperly marked buoys.
“The majority of people who fish commercially are law-abiding and care about our fisheries,” said Nathaniel Arnold, Chief of the CDFW Law Enforcement Division. “There are a few individuals, however, who choose to partake in commercial poaching. These individuals will eventually be caught and will likely lose the privilege to commercially fish in this state through either criminal or administrative actions.”
CDFW emphasizes that compliance with commercial fishing regulations – particularly removing traps at the end of each season—is essential. Those who abandon traps not only endanger marine mammals and other wildlife that can become trapped or entangled in derelict gear, but they can also cause shortened fishing seasons for law-abiding fishers who depend on those opportunities for their livelihood.
Whether it’s hunting, recreational fishing, or commercial fishing, the privilege to harvest California’s fish and wildlife requires a high degree of mutual trust between the public and law enforcement. CDFW’s wildlife officers are entrusted with protecting the state’s marine fish and wildlife species by patrolling and enforcing the law along California’s 840-mile coastline, and together with the California Fish and Game Commission, will continue to review violations of commercial fishing cases and take decisive administrative action to prevent bad actors from further harming California’s ocean environment.
See something serious? Report it and help protect California’s fish and wildlife. You can:
- Call CalTIP at (888) 334-2258 – available 24/7
- Text “CALTIP” + your message to 847411 (tip411)
- Download the CalTIP app from Apple’s App Store or Google Play to send tips anonymously.
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Media Contacts:
Andrew Halverson, CDFW Law Enforcement, (661) 428-9873
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858