BusinessEconomyFeaturesFishingGlobal IssuesLaw & OrderNatureNorth AmericaSecuritySocietyWildlife ConservationWorld
Coast Guard wages battle against illegal fishing boats
- Out at sea, this border battle is fought in boats
HARLINGEN — In the sun-blasted, wind-riven waters between the South Padre Island jetties and the mouth of the Rio Grande, a different kind of border crossing crisis is playing out.
- Rick Kelley
- Valley Morning Star
- Source: U.S. Coast Guard
One side has spotter aircraft, radar and fully crewed patrol craft loaded with the latest technology.
The other employs simple 20- to 30-foot boats with outboard motors, capitalizing on speed and a canny sense for beating a tactical retreat.
For Mexican lancha crews fishing illegally in the waters of the United States, low-tech often proves…