Coast Guard Rescues 50 Sharks Illegally Caught Off Texas Coast

The United States Coast Guard rescued 50 sharks off the Texas coast near Corpus Christi that it says were caught illegally by Mexican fishing boats.

It started Tuesday, when the Coast Guard said a patrol boat saw four Mexican fishing boats 800 yards north of the United States and Mexico’s maritime border.

When the patrol boat approached the fishing boats, the Coast Guard said, they sped away, leaving the fishing gear behind. The fishing gear included illegal longline gear and gill net.

Fifty living sharks and two tripletail fish were caught in the net and freed by the Coast Guard, it said. Five sharks were also found dead in the illegal gear.

“The Coast Guard is absolutely invested and engaged daily in combating the intense illegal fishing by Mexican fisherman in U.S. waters,” Capt. Tony Hahn, commander of Sector Corpus Christi, said in a press release.

“This requires our personnel to spend countless hours at sea to stop this indiscriminate violation of fisheries law and U.S. sovereignty. We sincerely appreciate any reports or information that can lead to stopping this criminal activity.”

The Coast Guard asks that if you witness suspicious 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 or illegal fishing occurring in federal waters (out to 200 miles offshore), please contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 361-939-6393.

Images courtesy U.S. Coast Guard