The owner of an upscale Southern California restaurant and seafood shop known for promoting its products as sustainable and traceable has been fined more than $120,000 after a state investigation found he repeatedly violated commercial fishing laws and engaged in deceptive marketing practices.
Conner Mitchell, 37, who operates Dudley Market in Venice, illegally fished in Marine Protected Areas off the coast of Santa Barbara Island, among other locations, an investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) found. His catches included rockfish, Pacific bluefin tuna, and yellowtail.
“Violating fishing regulations that are intended to preserve Marine Protected Areas threatens the environment and the fishing industry that depend on sustainable fish stocks in the future,” said Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch. “I am proud that my office was able to work with CDFW to protect these valuable resources.”
Two of Mitchell’s business partners ― Taylor Grant, 41, and Cody Martin, 30 ― were also targeted in the investigation that included searches of their cell phone records and the chart plotters aboard their fishing boats, Jamaican Day and Predator. Grant and Martin were also ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in penalties. All three are now prohibited from owning or operating commercial fishing vessels in California.
Outside the Marine Protected Areas, the trio also sold sport-caught fish illegally, authorities said. Under California law, fish taken by a commercial vessel must be brought to port and documented on an electronic “fish ticket.” Mitchell and his crews often did not. “This documentation is critical for CDFW and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to effectively manage California fisheries and ensure long-term sustainability,” CDFW said.
In a July 2025 interview, Mitchell discussed the resurgence of Pacific bluefin tuna off the Southern California coast and argued previously prohibited fisheries could now be harvested responsibly. Mitchell, who has run Dudley Market since 2020 and supplies bluefin to a number of Los Angeles restaurants, portrayed fishing as both a profession and a stewardship, encouraging consumers to ask questions about where their seafood comes from and how it was caught. Mitchell also operates a business called Shark Bite Fish Co., LLC.
Los Angeles officials coordinated with their Santa Barbara counterparts in the prosecution. “Commercial fishing laws exist to protect our oceans and preserve marine ecosystems,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “These businesses lured the public into thinking they were caring for our precious resources, when in reality, their fish was unlawfully sourced. Sustainability was the bait, but fraud was the hook.“
As part of his plea agreement with authorities, Mitchell posted a message on Dudley Market’s website. It reads:
Pursuant to the terms of a recently entered Los Angeles Superior Court Order, we are required to provide you with notice that we violated California and federal laws applicable to commercial fishermen and fish businesses in California. Simultaneously therewith, we falsely advertised the Dudley Market as source fully sustainable [sic], transparent, and lawfully procured fish. We now comply with California and federal law and have we have [sic] ceased all such false advertising.
