The U.S. Coast Guard captured a lancha crew in the Gulf of Mexico with 200 pounds of fish illegally harvested in U.S. federal waters.
According to the U.S. government, Mexican fishers frequently use lanchas – fast 20-30-foot-long vessels – to cross into the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone, harvest red snapper illegally, and then bring their fish back to Mexico. Often, the red snapper is then brought back over the U.S. border to sell, where it competes with legally sanctioned catch produced by American fishers.
On 28 January, Coast Guard crews collaborated to locate and stop three Mexican fishers operating illegally in U.S. waters.
“After interdicting the lanchas, Coast Guard personnel seized 200 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear and highflyers on board the vessels,” the Coast Guard said in a release. “Coast Guard crews detained the men, brought them ashore and transferred the detainees to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for further processing.”
The 200 pounds of red snapper was donated to the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A., to support the organization’s research into illegal fishing; and to Sea Turtle Inc. of South Padre Island, Texas, U.S.A., for turtle rehabilitation.
The incident comes amid increased U.S. pressure …