Alacranes Reef National Park, Yucatan — Federal authorities seized a boat, fishing gear and made three arrests during an at-sea inspection. The Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection were part of the patrol for poachers.
According to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) they seized the boat for illegal fishing activities March 4. Three people on board were found in possession of illegally caught Caribbean queen conch (Lobatus gigas) within the Alacranes Reef National Park, a Protected Natural Area, they said in their March 10 press release.
Profepa explained that the National Park functions as a sanctuary and breeding ground for this species, located in the state of Yucatán.
The Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) and the non-profit organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, participated in the patrol.
Authorities said the patrols are part of the permanent surveillance efforts to prevent the illegal extraction of marine species and protect natural resources in this Natural Protected Area.
“During the operation, carried out on March 4, an illegal fishing vessel was detected and intercepted. Three divers were arrested,” Profepa reported yesterday.
“Upon inspection, prohibited fishing gear was found including diving suits, fins, snorkels, masks, hooks and drilling tools, screwdrivers, and a compressor.
“In addition to nine queen conch shells and seven pieces of raw, eviscerated fresh conch meat.
“The pink snail has been under permanent ban since 1988 due to its overexploitation and slow recovery rate, so there is no authorization from the competent regulatory authority for its extractive use.
“Therefore, the equipment, the specimens and parts of wildlife, along with the vessel and its engine, were placed under the custody of the Semar, the authority that acted as first responder, for their placement before the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).”
The queen conch is a species of great ecological importance to Caribbean marine ecosystems and is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Its illegal harvesting poses a direct threat to the balance of the reefs and seagrass beds where it lives.
Profepa will continue to participate in coordinated actions to monitor and protect marine ecosystems, in order to prevent illegal fishing activities that affect biodiversity and natural resources in the country’s Protected Natural Areas.
