Illegal Gulf Fishing
Illegal fishing in the Gulf of Mexico has become a persistent, high-stakes problem — threatening seafood stocks, coastal economies and marine ecosystems. Small, fast skiffs called lanchas routinely cross the maritime boundary from Mexico into U.S. waters to harvest valuable species such as red snapper, shark and other reef fish.
Caught in nets or hauled aboard small boats at night, those fish are often taken back to Mexico and sold, bypassing U.S. quotas and reporting systems and depriving American fishers of income. Federal agencies describe these incursions as both a conservation problem and an economic one.
The U.S. response is multi-layered. NOAA Fisheries enforces fisheries laws and can levy fines and sanctions; Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard provide the maritime patrol, interdiction and boarding capability; and the Department of Justice prosecutes when there’s evidence of trafficking or organized criminal involvement.
NOAA has also used trade and port measures: in recent years it has negatively certified Mexico for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and imposed measures that deny certain Mexican vessels access to U.S. ports as a leverage tool to push partner enforcement.
On the water, the U.S. Coast Guard is the primary interdiction force. Coast Guard cutters, small boats from coastal stations and maritime patrol aircraft detect and pursue lanchas and other suspect vessels.
In multiple recent operations the Coast Guard has interdicted lanchas, detained crews and seized thousands of pounds of illegally caught fish — actions intended to remove immediate pressure on fisheries and to gather evidence for civil or criminal cases.
Press releases and industry reporting document dozens of interdictions in the past two years, including seizures of hundreds to thousands of pounds of fish and multiple detentions along the Texas coast.
But enforcement faces practical limits. A June 2025 Department of Homeland Security inspector-general report found the Coast Guard fell short of its interdiction goals for IUU fishing in fiscal years 2023–2024, in part because competing missions (immigration, search and rescue, counter-drug) pulled assets and aviation hours away from fishery patrols.
The report concluded the Service “did not meet its 40 percent IUU interdiction goal” and recommended better prioritization and resource planning to address the shortfall. That finding highlights the persistent tension in Coast Guard operations: an agency with broad responsibilities must decide how to allocate finite cutters, crews and flight time.
To amplify its impact, the Coast Guard is working interagency and internationally. Joint patrols, information-sharing with NOAA and CBP, and the use of airborne surveillance (manned and unmanned) improve detection rates. When interdictions occur, the Coast Guard documents violations for NOAA’s law-enforcement agents or U.S. attorneys to pursue civil penalties or criminal charges.
Recently the Justice Department has also been used to pursue trafficking cases under statutes such as the Lacey Act, which targets trafficking in illegally obtained wildlife and fish — a shift that raises the stakes for organized or repeat offenders.
Prevention and deterrence strategies extend beyond patrols. NOAA’s enforcement initiatives have targeted illegal charter operations and unpermitted commercial activity in the Gulf, resulting in inspections and fines aimed at operators who skirt rules for reefs and for-hire vessels.
Port denials, import restrictions and diplomatic engagement with Mexico are other levers intended to reduce the incentive and opportunity for illegal harvests. These policy tools are valuable because they reach supply-chain actors who buy and move the fish — not just the people hauling nets offshore.
Still, experts say the job is far from done. The combination of shallow, vast waters, fast skiffs that can outrun older patrol boats, and the commercial value of species like red snapper makes interdiction a cat-and-mouse game. Conservationists warn that persistent illegal harvest risks long-term harm to stocks and to fishing communities that rely on a level regulatory playing field.
The inspector-general’s recommendation that the Coast Guard better prioritize IUU enforcement — and the agencies’ continued use of interdictions, fines and diplomatic pressure — suggest a two-track approach: sharpen operational capacity at sea while squeezing demand and market access ashore.
For Gulf communities and consumers, the takeaway is straightforward: illegal fishing steals economic value and undermines sustainable management. Progress will depend on sustained resources for maritime patrols, stronger interagency coordination, cooperation with Mexico on cross-border enforcement, and continued use of market and legal tools to disincentivize IUU activity.
The Coast Guard’s patrols and seizures are a visible part of that response — necessary but not sufficient without the policy, funding and international partnerships needed to keep Gulf fisheries healthy for the long term.
Nautical Mile Magazine
