The Coast Guard interdicted and detained 16 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing and seized approximately 2,500 pounds of fish in federal waters off southern Texas on Tuesday night.
Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr and Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crews, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center watch standers and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews, detected and interdicted a total of 16 Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) in the Gulf of America.
After interdicting four lanchas, Coast Guard crews took the fishermen into custody, brought them ashore, and transferred them to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for processing. Coast Guard personnel also seized an approximate total of 2,500 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear and equipment found on board the vessels. Two of the lanchas were also seized, while two were marked and left adrift due to flooding and instability.
“Our crews will continue to relentlessly detect and deter threats to our nation’s sovereignty. These illegal activities support trafficking and other criminal activities on our nation’s southern maritime border,” said Lt. David Anderson, commanding officer, Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr. “Our enduring at-sea presence is vital in combatting these illegal operations.”
The original announcement can be found here.