A weekend patrol by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police led to multiple citations after officers found a group harvesting large quantities of restricted sea life near Sekiu, the agency reported.
Sekiu is in Clallam County, along the Salish Sea.
According to WDFW Police, Sgt. Cilk was conducting a patrol in the Sekiu area during a low tide when he came across four individuals gathering seaweed in the rocky intertidal zone.
State regulations require a license for seaweed harvesting, which is also limited to 10 pounds of wet weight per person.
Upon contact, Sgt. Cilk determined that two members of the group did not have valid fishing licenses.
Further inspection revealed the group collectively possessed 116 purple sea urchins—86 more than the legal limit. Officers also found 50 sea cucumbers and 26 pounds of snails, all collected during their closed seasons.
The names of the individuals were not released, but citations were issued for multiple violations, including harvesting without a license and exceeding legal possession limits.
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