Two people from Rohnert Park have admitted to running an illegal fish selling business out of their home for more than a decade, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said.

Richard and Shalley Tran pleaded to two counts of illegally selling and exchanging fish for profit or personal gain, prosecutors said.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife started its investigation into the Trans in 2024 after receiving a tip that they were involved in the unlawful commercialization of sport-caught fish mainly caught off the Sonoma Coast.

According to prosecutors, surveillance showed the Trans processing their catch at their home in Rohnert Park. Investigators then saw the Trans conducting illegal sales out of their residence, at other residences in Sonoma County, and at various locations throughout the Bay Area, including homes and businesses, the District Attorney’s Office said.

The CDFW came to believe the Trans had been selling fish illegally for at least the past 10 years.

The Trans’ commercial fish operation used a fishing vessel that was not commercially registered, worked with people that were not commercially licensed, never obtained a Fish Receiver’s License, and failed to “land” their fish. According to prosecutors, “landing” occurs when the fish are brought ashore and it starts the paper trail that allows CDFW to track the fish as they move through the market.

“By skipping the landing step, commercial fishers circumvent paying landing fees and can also avoid claiming their subsequent fish sales as income for tax purposes,” The DA’s Office said.

As part of the resolution of the case, the Trans forfeited $66,000 in cash that CDFW seized from their home, representing just a portion of the proceeds of their illegal fish business, along with fishing gear. They also will not be allowed to engage in any fishing activities for one year.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.