In December, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a Mexican fishing crew poaching red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. Almost 200 red snapper were confiscated.
An HC-144 airplane crew from the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., was on a routine patrol and sighted two Mexican fishing boats, also known as lanchas, 42 miles offshore and 8 miles north of the United States/Mexico maritime border. A 33-foot law enforcement boat was launched out of South Padre Island and was vectored to the boats by the airplane crew. One of the lanchas was stopped, while the other one continued south of the maritime border.
The lancha that was apprehended had four crewmembers onboard and 197 red snapper totaling 590 pounds. They had fishing gear aboard without a legal permit, and the snapper were caught in U.S. waters. The lancha was towed back to South Padre Island and the four crewmembers were turned over to Customs and Border Protection.
Since Oct. 1, the Coast Guard has detected 41 lanchas, all of which were suspected of poaching in U.S. waters, and interdicted five of them.
If you witness suspicious or illegal fishing in state waters (out to 9 miles offshore), contact Texas Parks & Wildlife “Operation Game Thief” at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). For all suspicious or illegal fishing occurring in federal waters (out to 200 miles offshore), contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-6393.
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