In a marked turnaround from previous policy under which the US authorities would seize catches, destroy intercepted boats and subsequently deport poachers caught in US waters, four fishermen from Mexico face jail terms and heavy fines after having been caught fishing illegally on the US side of the Gulf of Mexico.
The four crew of the open boat fishing for snapper with longline gear have pleaded guilty to knowingly taking around 315kg of red snapper and four sharks that were to have been sold in Mexico. The US authorities estimate the catch to have a value of around US$9000.
Jose Daniel Santiago Mendoza, Miguel Angel Ramirez Vidal, Jesus David Luna Marquez and Jesus Roberto Morales Amador sailed from Playa Bagdad in a 25-foot open boat without navigation lights to fish with a longline of around 1200 hooks. The fishing gear was shot away approximately 18 miles north of the Maritime Boundary Line with Mexico and about 25 miles east of South Padre Island.
The four men were aware that any catch would be seized if they were caught in US waters. Skipper Miguel Angel Ramirez Vidal has been arrested on 28 previous occasions and the other crew also have records of similar incidents behind them.
Their boat was intercepted on 16th April and sentencing is now pending, with each of them facing a prison term of up to five years, as well as a potential $250,000 maximum fine.
