38 sharks, 28 rays caught in illegal fishing net off Texas coast
Mary Claire Patton, Digital Journalist
Texas Game Wardens
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – Texas Game Wardens pulled 133 sharks, rays and fish out of an illegal fishing net off the coast of South Padre Island last week.
The United States Coast Guard Station South Padre Island called the TGW to report illegal fishing gear near the Boca Chica shoreline.
Wardens with the Maritime Tactical Operations Group pulled 3,000 feet of unattended illegal gill net out of the water along with six different species that had been caught in the net, including:
1 Spotted Eagle Ray
12 Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks
7 Bonnethead Sharks
19 Hammerhead Sharks
27 Cow Nose Rays
67 menhaden
The exact date of the find is unclear but photos of some of the wildlife and the net were posted to the TGW Facebook page on Friday.