Hundreds of Sharks Found in Illegal Net Off Texas Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard has pulled 345 dead sharks from an illegal net found floating off the coast of South Texas.

The Coast Guard says a crew from South Padre Island found the 5-mile long net about four miles off the coast and 17 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border Monday.

Among the dead sharks were 225 black tip, 109 bonnet and 11 bull sharks.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Daniel Deptula said in a statement Wednesday that Mexican fisheries have been depleted by such fishing methods, which has led to more illegal fishing in U.S. waters. Use of such nets is illegal in Texas. Mexican fishermen often kill the sharks just for their fins.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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