Coast Guard Seizes 1350 lbs. of Red Snapper and detains 11 Mexican fisherman

On Thursday, February 6th there was a collaborative effort between the Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crews, Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center Watch Standers, Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi Aircrews, and the Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley to intercept three lanchas north of the Maritime Boundary Line off of the South Texas Coast. There Coast Guard personnel stopped and detained 11 Mexican fishermen, who had been illegally fishing in US federal waters, and found approximately 1,350 pounds of red snapper and nine sharks aboard the three lanchas. All of the illegally caught fish as well as the fishing gear, and highflyers on board were seized, brought ashore, and transferred over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing.

“Our crews will not pull back from efforts to end illegal fishing and trafficking of valuable natural resources on the maritime border. We remain committed to enforcing the laws of this nation,” said Lt. Shane Gunderson, commanding officer, Station South Padre Island. “Whether on the southern border or along the maritime boundary line in the Gulf of America, the Coast Guard will detect, deter, and interdict illicit activity that threatens our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

A lancha is a 20-30 foot long slender profiled fishing boat with a single outboard motor often used by Mexican fishermen. These boats are capable of going at speeds of more than 26 knots and are often used in both smuggling or illegal fishing activities north of the maritime boundary.

If you witness suspicious activity or illegal fishing in state waters (from land to 9 miles offshore), please contact “Operation Game Thief” at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). For all suspicious activity or illegal fishing occurring in federal waters (out to 200 miles offshore), please contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.