Dozens of dead sharks found in illegal gill net in the Gulf

Almost 350 dead sharks lay on the ground outside of Coast Guard Station South Padre Island after their boat crew located a 5-mile-long gill net floating 4 miles offshore Dec. 24, 2012. There were 225 black tip sharks, 109 bonnet and 11 bull sharks. less Almost 350 dead sharks lay on the ground outside of Coast Guard Station South Padre Island after their boat crew located a 5-mile-long gill net floating 4 miles offshore Dec. 24, 2012. There were 225 black tip ... more Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Photo Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Photo Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Dozens of dead sharks found in illegal gill net in the Gulf 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

U.S. Coast Guard patrols found 65 dead sharks in an illegal net 20 miles off South Padre Island Tuesday.

The decomposing sharks were found caught in a gill net, a drifting net often referred to as "the wall of death."

"These nets are so effective at catching and killing fish that their use is illegal in both federal and state waters in the Gulf of Mexico and highly regulated by fishing management," said Lt. Cmdr. Jason Brand, the living marine resources officer of the Coast Guard's 8th District, in a news release.

Officials said an air crew aboard an HU-25 Falcon airplane spotted the floating fishing gear around 2 p.m. during a routine patrol and immediately deployed a patrol boat. The crew retrieved a one-mile length of abandoned gill net with 65 badly decomposed sharks in it, the Coast Guard said.

Investigators say they suspect the net was placed by Mexican fishermen illegally poaching in U.S. waters.

"This lost fishing gear is a common occurrence in this region," Brand continued in the release, "When a Mexican lancha is detected by U.S. law enforcement, they abandon their gear which continues to 'ghost fish' without a parent vessel to retrieve it."

The Coast Guard says it has seized 28 fishing vessels, compelled 34 back into Mexican waters and retrieved more than 12 nautical miles of illegal fishing gear since October 2013.

In December 2012, patrolling officers recovered 350 dead sharks trapped in a five-mile length of gill net four miles off South Padre Island.4 miles off South Padre Island just before Christmas in 2012.