350 pounds of fish allegedly caught illegally off Texas coast seized by Coast Guard
US Coast Guard seized 350 pounds of red snapper, fishing gear and lancha boat off the coast of Corpus Christi
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. Coast Guard stopped three fishermen accused of illegally fishing in federal waters off southern Texas Saturday and seized hundreds of pounds of red snapper.
In a news release, the Coast Guard’s 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas announced that crew members aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey reported the illegal activity to watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The fishermen were reportedly aboard a lancha, a slim motorboat that typically measures between 20 and 30 feet, when the Coast Guard intercepted their fishing venture, according to the Coast Guard’s news release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The three-person lancha crew was approximately 37 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line, the federal security agency reported.
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A Cutter Benjamin Dailey (manning Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo) boat crew intercepted a lancha that carried three fishermen who were allegedly fishing illegally in federal waters off the coast of Texas Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Benjamin Dailey)
Service members aboard the Benjamin Dailey reportedly launched a 26-foot over-the-horizon cutter boat crew to intercept the fishermen, which led to the seizure of the lancha, the boat’s fishing gear and 350 pounds of red snapper.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Illegal fishing threatens the security of our maritime border and the prosperity of our marine ecosystems," Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Hogan, the living marine resources boarding officer aboard the Cutter Benjamin Dailey, said in a statement.
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"We will continue working closely with our agency partners to minimize the negative impacts of illegal activities in federal waters."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A boat crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey (manning Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo) seized 350 pounds of illegally fished red snapper aboard a lancha approximately 15 miles offshore the southern Texas coast Saturday, Jan. 7, 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Benjamin Dailey)
The three fishermen were detained and transferred to land-based Customs and Border Protection agents for processing, according to the Coast Guard’s news release.
The Coast Guard’s announcement noted that lancha boats are typically used by Mexican fishermen and have been frequently used to support illegal fishing or the illegal transport of narcotics in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles offshore and is near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two crew members from the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey (manning Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo) direct a Mexican fisherman aboard a lancha approximately 15 miles offshore the southern Texas coast Saturday, Jan. 7, 2022. The guardsmen search the boat. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Benjamin Dailey)
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for comment.
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The Coast Guard urges the public to report any suspicious activity or illegal fishing within 200 miles of the nation’s offshore border at the following hotline: 361-939-0450.