A Duson, Louisiana, U.S.A. resident was cited by law enforcement agents for illegally harvesting undersized Spanish mackerel with shrimping gear.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDFW) agents were on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government, when they spotted a commercial trawling vessel. Upon coming in contact with the vessel, law enforcement discovered 63 Spanish mackerel, roughly half of which were legally undersized.
Mackerel must exceed 12 inches in order to be kept.
The captain of the vessel, Joshua Thanh Dinh, admitted that he caught the fish with his shrimp trawls, which is illegal.
Agents also discovered four bonnethead sharks on board.
Dinh did not have a commercial license to possess either Spanish mackerel or bonnethead sharks.
The agents referred the case to NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement for prosecution.
