





window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' });



Photo: Special to The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 2 of 4 The rocky shoreline north of Jenner, popular ab diving area The rocky shoreline north of Jenner, popular ab diving area Photo: The Chronicle Image 3 of 4 Abalone shells found in areas where poachers have shucked the snail and left the shell Abalone shells found in areas where poachers have shucked the snail and left the shell Photo: The Chronicle Image 4 of 4 Pay-off in crackdown on abalone poachers (pics) 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

People want redemption for wildlife crimes.

They are starting to get it.

A repeat abalone poacher pleaded guilty to new charges this month, and this time, Wildlife OfficerPat Foy said, he faces landmark penalties.

The general public often is outraged when an animal, bird, fish or mollusk is abused for a lawbreaker’s personal profit. Over the years, punishments sometimes have been relatively light and the published accounts have infuriated many.

In Mendocino County last week, a case came down that could change how wildlife crimes are enforced across California.

In 2013, with the abalone under siege in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, state wildlife officers made enforcing strict new laws, such as lower limits, a point of emphasis by putting up road checkpoints where every vehicle was stopped. Hundreds of legal sport divers were inconvenienced, but they seemed to support the effort if it meant apprehending poachers.

That same year, Foy said, wildlife officers with the Special Operations Unit, assigned to protect wildlife from illegal takes and sales, watched Dung Van Nguyen, 41, harvest 35 abalone, 17 more than the limit for an entire year.

Wildlife officers charged Nguyen with poaching abalone and selling them for personal profit, Foy said.

“Nguyen is a repeat offender with multiple convictions for similar poaching crimes,” Foy said.

Tim Stoen, deputy district attorney for Mendocino County, agreed to prosecute the case, which is half the battle in most counties.

The case came full circle this month when Nguyen pleaded guilty to one felony count of forging an abalone report card and one misdemeanor count of taking abalone for commercial purposes, Foy said.

As a condition of his plea, Foy said, Nguyen is required to return to court Nov. 11 for sentencing and to be taken into custody.

Now get this: The conditions of his sentence include 32 months in state prison, a fine of $15,000 and a lifetime revocation of his fishing license, Foy said.

After all, Foy said, the victims can’t speak for themselves.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoors writer. E-mail: tstienstra@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom