TEXAS, USA — US Coast Guard interdicted and detained 12 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing and seized approximately 1,400 pounds of fish in federal waters off southern Texas, Monday.
Coast Guard Cutter Alert, Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi crews, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center watchstanders, detected and interdicted a total of 12 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) in the Gulf of America.
After interdicting three lanchas, Coast Guard crews took the fishermen into custody, brought them ashore, and transferred them to US Customs and Border Protection personnel for processing. Coast Guard personnel also seized approximately 550 pounds of red snapper, 850 pounds of shark, along with fishing gear and equipment found on board the vessels. The lanchas were seized/towed back Station South Padre Island.
“The Coast Guard remains unwavering in our mission to protect and defend our nation’s maritime borders,” said Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Motoi, chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard’s Eighth District. “With highly trained teams aboard our cutters, boats, and aircraft, we will continue to aggressively target illegal fishing and the criminal networks it fuels. Our presence at sea is a critical line of defense for the nation’s sovereignty.”
A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is approximately 20-30 feet long, with a slender profile, one outboard motor, and capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas are frequently used to illegally fish in the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the US-Mexico border in the Gulf of America. The illegal harvest and trade of red snapper and other fish species is often a revenue stream for criminal organizations. Apart from their use for illegal seafood harvesting in US waters, lanchas may also used to move illicit drugs and aliens into the United States.
