Efforts by the US Coast Guard in Texas to end illegal fishing in the newly renamed Gulf of America resulted in the recent detention of 11 Mexican fishermen and the seizure of 1,595 pounds of illegally caught red snapper.

The Coast Guard announced on Friday (Feb. 7) that its crews, in coordination with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, interdicted four lanchas -- slender fishing boats approximately 20-30 feet long -- and apprehended 11 fishermen who were engaged in illegal fishing north of the Maritime Boundary Line off southern Texas.

According to the Coast Guard, the lanchas held approximately 1,595 pounds of illegally caught red snapper, as well as nine sharks.

"Our crews will not pull back from efforts to end illegal fishing and trafficking of valuable natural resources on the maritime border," Shane Gunderson, a lieutenant and the commanding officer of Station South Padre Island, said in a statement.

Photo Credit: US Coast Guard

“Whether on the southern border or along the maritime boundary line in the Gulf of America, the Coast Guard will detect, deter, and interdict illicit activity that threatens our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The fishermen were taken to shore and were placed into custody of CBP for further processing.

This latest crackdown on illegal fishing comes just a few weeks after Coast Guard officers detained three other Mexican fishermen and confiscated 200 lbs of illegally caught red snapper, as reported by Undercurrent News.