Canadian man arrested in Keys marine area on lobster charges

Marko Gacic, 42, of Hamilton, Ontario, was booked in Monroe County on July 12 after officers said he spearfished in a prohibited fishing zone and killed two lobsters under the size requirement in a federally protected marine area off the Florida Keys. The Monroe County booking record for Gacic was last updated July 14, and the case left him facing a series of misdemeanor charges tied to lobster harvesting rules that are closely enforced throughout the Keys.

The arrest lands in one of Monroe County’s most heavily watched marine corridors, where federal sanctuary boundaries, state fish rules and local patrols overlap. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations say the spiny lobster sport mini-season begins on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July, which this year falls on July 29 and 30, while the regular spiny lobster season runs Aug. 6 through March 31. The minimum carapace size is larger than 3 inches, and the lobster must be measured in the water before it can be kept.

That matters in the Keys because some waters are off limits year-round. A Florida Keys lobster brochure published July 14, 2023, listed Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary closed zones, including sanctuary preservation areas and areas around Key Largo, Looe Key, Everglades National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park, where lobster harvest is not allowed. The same materials say coral is protected from damage or removal in state and federal waters, adding another layer of enforcement in reef habitat that is already under pressure.

For lawful recreational divers and commercial interests, illegal take can mean fewer legal lobsters in crowded waters and more competition in places where harvest is already constrained by season, size and zone rules. It also puts more strain on officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and federal partners such as the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, who are tasked with policing a fishery that draws heavy visitation every summer.

The Gacic arrest fits a recurring pattern in the Keys. In 2023, a visitor was found with 28 out-of-season lobsters, and in 2025 three Davie men were arrested after officers confiscated 53 spiny lobsters. In Monroe County, lobster season is more than a summer tradition; it is a regulated resource, and violations in sanctuary waters continue to draw criminal charges.