200 pounds of illegally caught fish seized off South Texas coast

CORPUS CHRISTI – The Coast Guard arrested four fishermen and seized about 200 pounds of red snapper caught illegally off the South Texas coast.

A news release states that a Coast Guard boat crew from South Padre Island and a Coast Guard aircrew from Corpus Christi located the fishermen on a lancha boat about 65 miles north of the maritime boundary line on Saturday.

Along with the fish, authorities seized fishing gear, radios and GPS devices aboard the lancha.

Lanchas are known for transporting illegal drugs or fish near the U.S.-Mexico border. They range between 20 and 30 feet long and have a slender profile with the capability of traveling about 30 miles per hour.

The four fishermen, who are from Mexico, were taken into custody. They were transferred to border enforcement agents for processing, the release states.

“Our crews remain fiercely committed to interdicting lanchas and undermining the profitability of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” Lt. Shane Gunderson, commanding officer at Station South Padre Island, said in the release. “We work ceaselessly with our federal and state agency partners to put a stop to this environmental, economic threat.”

Anyone who witnesses suspicious or illegal fishing out to 200 miles offshore is asked to contact the Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.

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