Eleven people were cited in San Mateo County for illegally taking nearly 100 Dungeness crabs from a beach, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

A cluster of crabs gathers on sandy ground near sparse vegetation under artificial light.
Dungeness crabs illegally collected from the waters off Thornton State Beach in San Mateo County, Calif. (The California Department of Fish via Bay City News)

Officials with the CDFW were tipped off to two large groups of people wading into the surf at Thornton State Beach with lights to unlawfully take the crabs outside of recreational Dungeness crab fishing season.

Wildlife officers saw people taking the crabs and saw others carrying them in buckets, bags or backpacks. Eleven citations were issued for unlawfully taking the crabs, taking undersized crabs, and taking an overlimit of crabs.

Officers seized 95 Dungeness crabs as evidence and all were returned to the ocean, the CDFW said.

If you see a wildlife crime in progress, report it to CDFW’s CALTIP line at 888-334-2258.