Four Mexican fishermen were caught illegally fishing for sharks off the coast of Texas, the US Coast Guard said. 40 of the sharks were caught and the four fishermen were taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection.
The U.S. Coast Guard arrested four Mexican fishermen after receiving information from Customs and Border Protection officials that a Mexican fishing boat, known as the Lanche, was fishing illegally in U.S. waters near Corpus Christi, Texas.
When the Coast Guard crew arrived, the Mexican boat was about 7 miles north of the maritime boundary line. Once US sailors boarded the Mexican boat, they found a pile of sharks that cannot be legally fished in Texas. 40 of the sharks were caught and the four fishermen were taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection.
A crew from @USCG Cutter Edgar Culbertson interdicted a Mexican lancha and seized 40 sharks illegally caught off the southern #Texas coast. Read more: https://t.co/KeI535xs1v pic.twitter.com/7pMRHIL2Pd
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) August 3, 2022
Authorities have not released what they intend to do with the 40 sharks caught this week. But shark fins are considered an expensive food, even though they are illegal to serve in Texas due to the cruelty they inflict on them. More than 400 shark fins were found in a Texas restaurant in April. Whole sharks, as well as frozen fins, were found at a San Antonio restaurant after local inspectors raided it.
According to the Coast Guard, Mexican vessels are often used to transport illegal drugs to the United States and to fish illegally in the United States’ exclusive economic zone.