Seafood Seizure: 900 Pounds of Illegal Fish Confiscated Off the Texas Coast

Someone's fish fry was totally ruined following a seizure of 900 pounds of illegally-caught fish over the weekend off the Texas coast.

Plenty of Fish in the Sea... Well Not Anymore

You say teach a man to fish and he'll be fed for a lifetime, I say teach a man to illegally catch 900 pounds of fish and he'll be susceptible for arrest across the border.

Well, that's exactly what happened when the U.S. Coast Guard stopped 23 Mexican fisherman engaging in illegal fishing past the U.S. border.

The Coast Guard seized 900 pounds of red snapper and shark, along with other fishing gear. It's not illegal to catch red snapper, but the state of Texas requires proper licensing to do so.

According to the release by U.S. Coast Guard News, boat crews from the Coast Guard Stations from South Padre Island and Corpus Christi located and intercepted nearly two dozen fisherman who crossed the border to illegally fish in their boats.

Don't Rock the Boat

You see, the boats that were used to catch all of the fish were already flagged by the U.S. Coast Guard because those specific types, the Lanchas, are commonly operated for smuggling illegal narcotics into the country.

All 23 of the fishermen were detained and brought ashore for processing through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Last year, Mexico joined the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to prevent and eliminate IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing. Although this helps cut down on some illegal fishing, stories such as these still pop up from individuals trying to make a few quick bucks.