The battleship-gray fishing boat roared past in the dead of night with its running lights off, catching the attention of game wardens patrolling the open ocean just outside Los Angeles Harbor.

An onboard inspection turned up hundreds of California spiny lobsters — prized for their sweet flavor and meaty tails — but the skipper’s story about where he caught them didn’t seem to hold water.

The edgy encounter in early January prompted an elaborate undercover operation featuring an array of sophisticated tactics — including divers plunging into dangerous inky waters to secretly seed the fisherman’s traps with marked lobsters — that would seem right at home in a James Bond adventure.

It all culminated before dawn Monday with the arrests of two men who state Department of Fish and Game officials say had raided a protected marine refuge of lobsters, thereby gaining an unfair advantage over competitors who abided by state fishing regulations.

Only two days before the close of California’s six-month spiny lobster fishing season, "most commercial fishermen can work all day long to catch 20 to 30 pounds," said Fish and Game Capt. Martin Maytorena. "These suspects fished one day and trapped 500 pounds."

Two men were arrested without incident at a marina in Long Beach as they prepared to unload their catch, authorities said. They were unaware that the catch included about 15 marked lobsters placed inside their wire-mesh traps a week earlier by state divers.

The owner of the boat was charged with grand theft of property belonging to the people of California, and possession of fraudulent documents, both felonies, authorities said.

For those who protect coastal wildlife resources, it was a significant bust. There are 246 people in the state licensed to take California spiny lobster. Authorities say they know commercial poaching of lobsters occurs, but they rarely catch anyone.