California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Fish and Game Commission News Release:
San Diego Dep. City Attorney Named 2022 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year
San Diego Deputy City Attorney (DCA) Jordan B. DuBois has been named 2022 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year, the California Fish and Game Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) jointly announced today.
San Diego’s citizens are known for their passion for protecting their natural resources, their marine resources particularly. DCA Jordan DuBois embodies those same values. When he was assigned his first few poaching cases, he prosecuted them vigorously with the goal of taking poachers out of business and setting an example for others to follow.
“Better prosecutions among elected city attorneys and district attorneys have been a priority of mine since I was appointed in 2015,” said Eric Sklar, President of the California Fish and Game Commission. “It is my pleasure to recognize Deputy City Attorney DuBois for his excellent work. His efforts serve as an example to prosecutors throughout California.”
As an example, in 2021, a commercial lobster fisherman who was a known repeat poaching offender was contacted on the opening week of commercial lobster fishing season. The fisherman was found in possession of undersize spiny lobsters and did not have his required commercial lobster logbook on board. Several weeks before the incident, wildlife officers found the same fisherman sport fishing in the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve, an area off limits to fishing. DuBois prosecuted the cases vigorously and gained convictions for the violations. Another commercial fisherman was found in possession of undersize spiny lobsters and was prosecuted accordingly. That conviction was ultimately used to revoke the individual’s commercial fishing license. While most commercial lobster fishermen and women are compliant with commercial fishing regulations, DuBois’ reputation for aggressive prosecution of commercial fishing violations resonated with the fleet bringing increased compliance.
“We have long known how fortunate the City of San Diego is to have Jordan working diligently to protect the abundant, but fragile, natural resources here,” City Attorney Mara W. Elliott said. “For the Commission to bestow this honor on him invigorates the whole team of prosecutors and investigators who help to successfully prosecute these cases in collaboration with the wildlife officers at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife."
DCA DuBois has also been the lead prosecutor on several commercial passenger fishing vessel (CPFV) cases. In 2022, DuBois prosecuted a San Diego based CPFV for taking a gross overlimit of 78 bluefin tuna. The vessel was also in violation of several logbook/recordkeeping regulations. The owner operator received a fine, a restitution to the fish processor estimated at more than $5,000, along with a refund to all its passengers at an approximate $17,000 cost.
DuBois’ efforts are not limited to commercial fish cases. DuBois has been an important ally in prosecuting ivory trafficking cases. Beginning in 2019, with a major ivory trafficking case that was the first of its kind prosecuted in San Diego, DuBois helped obtain convictions on multiple violations resulting in more than $500,000 in fines, 364 days in custody and 200 hours of volunteer work per defendant at the San Diego Zoo. More than 300 pieces of ivory worth more than $1 million were forfeited.
“As a statewide law enforcement agency, CDFW wildlife officers work with hundreds of city attorneys, district attorneys and their deputies throughout California,” said David Bess, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of the Law Enforcement Division. “Deputy City Attorney DuBois’ solid prosecutions have consistently resulted in meaningful dispositions. His work shines as an example for other prosecutors to follow.”
CDFW’s wildlife officers have developed an excellent partnership with DCA DuBois in the years since DuBois began prosecuting environmental cases. The greatest beneficiary of that partnership has been the natural resources of San Diego. For these reasons, DCA Jordan DuBois was selected by the Commission and CDFW as the 2022 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year.
Media contact:
Capt. Patrick Foy, CDFW Law Enforcement 916-508-7095