PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Coast Guard interdicts lancha crew, seizes 330 pounds of illegal fish off Texas coast

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 12/01/2022 03:57 PM EST

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 News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas
Contact: 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas
Office: 281-464-4810
After Hours: 832-293-1293
PA Detachment Texas online newsroom

Coast Guard interdicts lancha crew, seizes 330 pounds of illegal fish off Texas coast

A boat crew from Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Galveston, Texas, approaches a Mexican lancha crew engaged in illegal fishing approximately 55 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line, Nov. 28, 2022. Coast Guard crews detained the four fishermen and transferred them to Customs and Border Protection agents for further processing. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Jacob Poroo) A boat crew from Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Galveston, Texas, surveys red snapper illegally caught by a Mexican lancha crew approximately 55 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line, Nov. 28, 2022. Coast Guard crews detained the four fishermen and transferred them to Customs and Border Protection agents for further processing. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Jacob Poroo) Under the instruction of a boat crew from Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo, Mexican fishermen release illegally caught red snapper back into the water approximately 55 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line, Nov. 28, 2022. Coast Guard personnel instructed the fishermen to release the catch because the fish were freshly caught and many were still alive. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Jacob Poroo)

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coast Guard interdicted a lancha crew and seized 330 pounds of illegally caught fish Monday in federal waters off southern Texas.

Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a notification from the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo of four fishermen engaged in illegal fishing aboard a lancha approximately 55 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line.

The crew of the Jacob Poroo launched a 26-foot over-the-horizon cutter boat crew to intercept the lancha. The boat crew arrived on scene and subsequently seized 330 pounds of red snapper, illegal fishing gear and the lancha.

Coast Guard personnel detained the four fishermen and rendezvoused with a Coast Guard Station South Padre Island 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew, who transferred the men to Customs and Border Protection agents at Station South Padre Island for processing.

"The Jacob Poroo crew remains committed to deterring and interrupting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity occurring off the southern Texas coast," said Lt. George Sohn, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo. "Those on the water who witness illegal fishing activity are highly encouraged to notify the Coast Guard to assist in combating illegal fishing operations and protecting our Nation's economic security."

A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is approximately 20-30 feet long with a slender profile, having one outboard motor, and is capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas are frequently used to transport illegal narcotics to the U.S. and illegally fish in the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone near the U.S./Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico.

If you witness suspicious activity or illegal fishing out to 200 miles offshore, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.

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