5 lanchas, 22 crew members apprehended in gulf

The Coast Guard interdicted five lanchas and 22 crew members and seized 590 pounds of illegally caught fish in federal waters off southern Texas on Thursday.

Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crews and the Coast Guard Cutter Jacob Poroo crew, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi air crews, located and stopped five lanchas, detaining 22 Mexican fishermen.

Coast Guard personnel seized three sharks and 590 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear, radios, GPS devices and high flyers, vertical poles designed to mark the beginning and end of a long-line set.

Coast Guard crews detained the Mexican fishermen and transferred them to border enforcement agents for processing.

“Through our great collective efforts, we continue to detect and deter illegal fishing occurring in southern Texas waters,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Ortega, search and rescue coordinator, Sector Corpus Christi. “Our crews are always ready to protect U.S. waters from foreign intrusion and enforce domestic living marine resource laws.”

Lanchas are 20- to 30-foot open fishing craft powered by outboards. They are used not just to poach fish in U.S. waters but also to sometimes smuggle illegal narcotics.

Anyone witnessing suspicious activity on the water within 200 miles of shore is urged to report it to the Coast Guard at 361-939-0450.