CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coast Guard law enforcement
crews interdicted
78 lanchas, seized 15,484 lbs of catch, and detained 208 fishermen during fiscal year 2021 along the Texas coast.
Since the first recorded lancha interdiction in the late 1980s,
the Coast Guard has seen a significant uptick in the detection of the vessels,
recording close to 300 lancha interdictions in the past three fiscal years
combined.
A noteworthy case from this year was on Aug. 4, 2021, when Coast
Guard Station South Padre Island worked with Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus
Christi, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Coast Guard Cutter Pelican to
interdict four lanchas with a total of 320 lbs of red snapper and 1,160 lbs of
shark in one day.
In cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, the Coast
Guard utilizes a layered approach to combat illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing through aircraft, small boats, and cutters, as well as
improved technology on those assets, resulting in the drastic increase in
lancha interdictions.
“The crew at Station South Padre Island takes their role of
protecting our natural resources from poaching along the Maritime Boundary Line
very seriously," said Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Ippolito, commanding officer of
Coast Guard Station South Padre Island. "The last few years of record-breaking
lancha interdictions speak to the steadfast commitment, professionalism, and
teamwork of the Coast Guard crews and our partners at Texas Parks and Wildlife
to this mission. We ask that the public continue to stay vigilant and report
any instances of illegal fishing to the Coast Guard or Texas Parks and
Wildlife.”
A lancha is a fishing boat used by Mexican fishermen that is
approximately 20-30 feet long with a slender profile. They typically have one
outboard motor and are capable of traveling at speeds exceeding 30 mph. Lanchas
pose a major threat, usually entering the United States Exclusive Economic Zone
near the U.S.-Mexico border in the Gulf of Mexico with the intent to smuggle
people, drugs, or poach the United State's natural resources.
If you witness suspicious activity or illegal fishing in state
waters (out to 9 miles offshore), 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.
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