The Coast Guard intercepted a Mexican vessel illegally fishing in U.S. waters and seized 40 captured sharks.
A Coast Guard command center in Corpus Christi, Texas, received a report this week from U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel of four Mexican nationals fishing seven miles north of the maritime boundary line.
The Mexican crew was using a slender boat called the lancha, which is capable of going over 30 miles per hour.
These boats are often used to smuggle illegal narcotics into the U.S, as well as for fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.