About 300 sea turtle eggs were returned to the beach and reburied Friday after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission caught a man poaching them from a beach in St. Lucie County.
James Odel McGriff, 55, of Riviera Beach, was arrested and booked into the St. Lucie County Jail.
"We take these matters very seriously," said Capt. Jeff Ardelean, a supervisor in the FWC's West Palm Beach office. "Stopping those who attempt to poach and commercialize our endangered species is one of our highest priorities."
A concerned citizen on Friday called the FWC after she saw what looked like a man stealing sea turtle eggs at the Diamond Sands beach, located along A1A.
The woman was able to provide a description of the man and his vehicle.
FWC officers and investigators responded and talked with McGriff. After using a K-9 to track where McGriff had been, investigators located a disturbed sea turtle nest and a backpack full of sea turtle eggs.
This wasn't the first time McGriff had been caught poaching turtle eggs, officials said. In 2002, he was arrested after he sold 12 eggs to an undercover officer and also had about 324 pre-bagged eggs for sale.
"We are committed to stopping those who intentionally take advantage of our state’s fish and wildlife resources," Ardelean said.
The FWC is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the case, and federal charges are pending, officials said.
Sea turtles are among the oldest creatures on earth. All five species in Florida are either endangered or threatened. The Marine Turtle Protection Act stipulates that it is illegal to injure, harm, harass, capture or attempt to capture any marine turtles, eggs or nests.