The U.S. Coast Guard stopped and detained 23 Mexican fishermen, accusing them of fishing illegally north of the Maritime Boundary Line, according to the Coast Guard’s press release.
On September 29, authorities interdicted five lanchas, a type of motorized fishing boat usually measuring 20 to 30 feet, and seized 900 pounds of fish they say had been illegally caught, per the statement.
The individuals are accused of having caught the fish, which included red snapper and shark, from waters off Southern Texas.
In a combined effort, boat crews from the Coast Guard Station South Padre Island and Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, in conjunction with Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews stopped and detained the fishermen.
Describing the Coast Guard’s mission to combat illegal fishing, Lt. Shane Gunderson, commanding officer, at Station South Padre Island, said, “Our Coast Guard crews remain committed to eliminating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in our nation’s sovereign …