Risk vs. Reward

It was just a routine patrol off South Padre Island by the U.S. Coast Guard on Dec. 11.

A startling discovery, however, made that patrol anything but routine. The Coast Guard came across a monster 28,000-foot gill net.

"A gill net is a non-discriminatory method of fishing with a float line on top and lead line on bottom," noted Master Pilot Sgt. James Dunks of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. "Anything that swims into it is caught."

The Coast Guard notified the TP&WD law enforcement division, based in Brownsville, and the two agencies began the arduous task of pulling up the massive net.

"We went out there in a 65-foot boat and spent the night pulling that stuff in," Dunks said. "It took us 10 to 12 hours.

"This was the most I've seen in the Gulf, and I've been here 12 years," Dunks said.

Gill nets are just one method of illegal fishing off Texas shores, where red snapper and sharks are more plentiful than off the Mexican Gulf coast. The other is long lines, which are anchored on both ends and go down to the bottom, much like a freshwater trotline.

No matter which method of fishing is used, floats are used and that makes spotting gill nets or long lines relatively easy.

The Coast Guard and Texas Parks & Wildlife know where the culprits come from, but catching them is the hard part.

"Playa Bagdad - all these boats are coming from Mexico," Dunks said, referring to a seaside community less than 10 miles south of South Padre Island.

"We chase them back to Mexico. Sometimes we catch them, sometimes we don't.

"They get away from us more than we catch them," Dunks admitted. "They see us coming, they fire up, and go to Mexico."

The 20-foot fishing boats, called pongas, are simple in design and made of fiberglass. They generally boast a three-person crew with a large outboard motor, capable of achieving 40 mph. Many times, several boats work in tandem. Motors can range from 75 to 175 horsepower.

"Sometimes we're lucky and sneak up on them," Dunks said. "When we catch them, we seize their boats and turn the crew over to the Border Patrol."

One time illegal fishermen didn't get away was just this past week, the Coast Guard said.

On Wednesday, the Coast Guard Cutter Zephyr intercepted a Mexican fishing vessel about 50 miles off of South Padre Island and seized an estimated 250 pounds of red snapper, 75 pounds of shark and 40 pounds of grouper, according to a news release.

The catch was spoiled and abandoned at sea. The crew was turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

What happens to crews in these cases depends on the circumstances.

Border Patrol spokesman Daniel Doty said they are transferred to the Border Patrol in cases where they are detained within 12 miles of the U.S. coast. In cases where they are caught farther than 12 miles out, they are turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"They would likely be given a chance to re-enter Mexico voluntarily if no crimes were committed in U.S. territory," he said. "If crimes were committed in U.S. territory, they will be prosecuted in a federal court."

CBP officials in McAllen and Brownsville did not return calls for comment.

Every once in awhile, chasing the illegal fishermen can be dangerous.

"There's never been any gun play. When we get them stopped, they're very cooperative," Dunks said.

"During the chase it can be dangerous," he admitted. "Imagine a car chase on the water. It gets pretty hairy and has involved ramming our boat. If they intentionally come at us, that's aggravated assault on a peace officer."

That ratchets up the charges.

Texas Parks & Wildlife responds to 40 to 50 calls a year of illegal fishing nets in U.S. waters off the South Texas coast.

But, says Chief Boatswain Mate Josh Bozarth of the Coast Guard, "it's not as bad as it was a few years ago.

"There are a lot of different ideas out there why. One idea is that we have new (faster) response vessels. There's changes in fishing, the change in the economy ... there's a lot of different schools of thought out there."

The Mexican fishermen generally know when they are in U.S. waters.

Bozarth said if the pongas are close enough to shore, the fishermen can see the 59-foot Rio Bravo lighthouse on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and know exactly where they are. Farther out, mistakes can be made.

The Coast Guard uses its global positioning system to determine exact locations of the gill nets or long lines. Even Coast Guard jets based at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi are used to find pongas working in U.S. waters.

Sometimes ponga operators are caught in the act.

"The perfect scenario is that we see them laying out the gear and they don't run," Bozarth said. "Sometimes the gear is in the middle of being set and they can't go anywhere."

But sometimes it's not the perfect scenario.

"Then they run," he said.

Bozarth said top speed of the pursuing Coast Guard boats is "sensitive information," but admits they are fast boats. Coast Guard vessels, however, are forbidden from entering Mexico's territorial waters. The chase ends at the border.

Sneaking up on the Mexican fishermen is not easy. Bozarth said a bright orange Coast Guard vessel traveling at a high speed and throwing up a wall of spray is not exactly subtle.

Night action gives neither side an advantage, he added.

But occasionally the Coast Guard catches a ponga.

"We seize the boats and bring the crew back here and the Border Patrol comes and takes them away," Bozarth said.

The nets are thrown in the trash and the pongas are offered to the Mexican government. If not accepted, they are destroyed.

It's a cat-and-mouse game that's not likely to end anytime soon, Bozarth said.

He believes that as long as the Texas coast provides red snapper and sharks for the taking, Mexican fishermen will take them.

It's a matter of supply, demand and a willingness to take risks.