Thousands of Pounds of Fish Lost to Illegal Fishing

Some U.S. fisherman are seeing seasons shortened dramatically

Feb 03, 2015 UPDATED: 09:24 PM CST Feb 03, 2015

Thousands of Pounds of Fish Lost to Illegal Fishing

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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND -Officials said thousands of pounds of fish are being lost to Mexican fisherman each year, changing a way of life on South Padre Island.

The Coast Guard calls it an organized operation. Radios and GPS systems have been found inside Mexican fishing boats as they are caught illegally fishing in U.S. waters.

The Coast Guard property has a yard filled with evidence. These Mexican fishing boats, called lanches, are typically 25 to 30 feet long. They are made for large catches and quick getaways.

Coast Guard Commander Dan Deptula said it is an organized approach to illegal fishing.

"This is really a South Texas phenomenon. … We know there's a lot of activity that we don't see,” he said.
After a two-year study, the U.S. Coast Guard said more than 1,000 Mexican fisherman illegal cross into U.S. waters, taking 760,000 pounds of fish every year.

"It's really a large scale impact," said Deptula.

The study only focuses on red snapper.

“We've scaled way back, and we can't really make a living fishing anymore," said Captain Stephen Murphy.

He has watched as the red snapper fishing season scaled back from 70 days to just 9 days a year, while Mexican fishermen flood the waters.

“These guys that come across our border and actually catch more fish in one night than I do the whole year here," said Murphy.

His way of life on South Padre Island changed dramatically when the fishing season was shortened. His boats are now used for dolphin watches and sunset cruises.

"It's kind of frustrating because I love fishing. I've had five state records in my lifetime, and there's really nothing to celebrate," said the captain.

Commander Deptula admits catching organized illegal fishing is one of their greatest challenges.

"They talk to each other. They'll talk to other boats in the vicinity, and they even talk to whatever land based communications that they may have," said the commander.

Captain Murphy's operation sits a few hundred yards from the Coast Guard where more boats sit in the seizure yard than at the dock.

Commander Deptula said, "Unfortunately, based on our resources, we have one boat. We can only really engage one boat, so the other … (boats) tend to get away."

The seized boats are handed over for evidence and then broken down to send off to the landfill.

The Coast Guard said they are actively working with the Mexican navy to keep illegal fishermen from entering U.S. waters.

The Corpus Christi and South Padre Island crews do work around the clock trying to spot and catch the lancha crews.
When they are caught, the crews are handed over to Customs and Border Protection.

The Coast Guard said it continues to partner with Texas Game Wardens to stop illegal fishing. You can report illegal fishing in the Gulf by calling (361) 939-6393.​

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