CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A U.S. Coast Guard crew intercepted a Mexican fishing vessel that had been fishing illegally Saturday off the Texas coast.
The poachers had hauled in 350 pounds of fish in U.S. territorial waters, the Coast Guard stated.
The command center for the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi were notified of three fishermen in a lancha, a Mexican fishing boat capable of high speeds, approximately 37 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line and sent the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Daily, a 26-foot cutter boat, to intercept the fishermen.
Upon arrival, the Coast Guard seized 350 pounds of red snapper, illegal fishing gear and the lancha, according to the release.
The fishermen were detained by the U.S. Coast Guard and then transferred to the custody of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Illegal fishing threatens the security of our maritime border and the prosperity of our marine ecosystems,” Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Hogan said.
Anyone with information of suspicious activity or illegal fishing should call the U.S. Coast Guard at (361) 939-0450.
