The U.S. Coast Guard interdicted a lancha boat crew and seized 40 illegally caught sharks in federal waters off southern Texas on Tuesday, August 2.
Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a lancha boat crew and seized 40 illegally caught sharks in federal waters off southern Texas on Tuesday, August 2. A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen, according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a notification from U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel of four fishermen engaged in illegal fishing aboard a lancha boat approximately seven miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line, the release stated.
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson launched a 26-foot over-the-horizon cutter boat crew and seized illegal fishing equipment and 40 sharks found on board the lancha. Coast Guard personnel detained the four fishermen and transferred them to border enforcement agents for processing.
According to the release, a lancha boat is approximately 20 to 30 feet long with a slender profile, having one outboard motor. It’s capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 miles per hour. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States near the U.S./Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
If you witness suspicious activity or illegal fishing in state waters (out to nine miles offshore), officials are asking all to please contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s “Operation Game Thief” at 1-800-792-GAME (4263). For all suspicious activity or illegal fishing occurring in federal waters (out to 200 miles offshore), please contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.