U.S. Seizes Mexican Fishing Boat
U.S. Coast Guard authorities escorted a Mexican vessel with five crewmen aboard to San Diego on Saturday after the boat was seized for allegedly fishing illegally in U.S. waters, authorities said.
The vessel, the 60-foot, Mazatlan-based Don Tomas, was carrying more than 1,000 pounds of fish, authorities said. A Coast Guard statement cited “several fishing violations,” but none was specified.
The Coast Guard said the vessel and its cargo will be turned over to the U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego.
Four Mexican crew members were turned over to the Border Patrol, authorities said. The fifth crew member, an American, remained on board. The fish was being refrigerated aboard the boat.
Foreign vessels are prohibited from fishing within 200 miles of U.S. coastline without permission. The Don Tomas was boarded just before midnight Friday in the Tanner Banks area, about 60 miles west of San Diego, Coast Guard Petty Officer Damon Stanford said.
Mexican authorities were not immediately available Saturday for comment.
The Coast Guard described the vessel as a gill-netter fishing boat.
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