May 23, 2004

Two San Diego-area commercial fishermen have been arrested in Mendocino County in connection with the largest single-day seizure of illegally harvested abalone in state history, state Fish & Game Department officials said.

Kurt Allan Ward, 43, and Joshua Holt, 34, both of San Ysidro, were jailed Thursday after game wardens found them with 468 illegally caught red abalone worth about $24,000 on the black market, officials said.

"This will be a landmark case," said Lt. Kathy Ponting, chief of the department's special operations unit.

The arrests occurred after game wardens boarded Ward's 24-foot commercial fishing vessel "Blind Strike," as it arrived at a dock at the Albion River campground in Fort Bragg. The two, who are licensed commercial sea urchin fishermen, had been under surveillance, she said.

"The holds of their vessel were literally filled to the max with abalone," Ponting said. "It was the ultimate in greed."

Both were booked into Mendocino County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail on felony charges of conspiracy and illegal harvest of abalone for commercial purposes.

On Friday, state game agents served a search warrant at Ward's home and seized telephone, bank records and other evidence that may lead to additional arrests of those who were purchasing the black market abalone, said game warden Eric Kord of San Diego.

California's abalone fishery has been in decline since 1992 due to increased poaching, disease, lack of food during El Niño warm water years, predation by sea urchins and the loss of deep-water brood stock.

Several of the abalone that were confiscated were especially large, older brood stock harvested with hooka diving equipment in deeper water, officials said. Hooka divers breathe underwater using a hose attached to an on-deck air compressor.

None of the seized abalone was returned to the wild because agents decided the mollusks were unlikely to survive replanting. In their haste to gather the shellfish, the poachers cut the abalone's flesh, Ponting said.

"It's a sad, sad thing," she said. "They were not going to survive. Once you cut an abalone, it bleeds to death."

After being photographed as evidence, the seized abalone were given away to food banks, charities and nonprofit groups in Mendocino County, she said.

If convicted of the charges against them, Ward and Holt could each face a maximum penalty of three years in prison, $40,000 in fines and lifetime revocation of their commercial and sport fishing licenses, Ponting said. The state also can permanently seize their fishing vessel and diving gear.