Sea Shepherd Vessel M/V Farley Mowat was attacked while it was conducting maritime patrols inside the Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California, and had recovered three illegal gillnets, when the crew noticed approximately 35 skiffs operating inside the refuge.
The Sea Shepherd vessel headed towards the skiffs to observe fishing methods being employed, since all gillnet fishing is strictly prohibited inside the marine protected area.
Moreover, five skiffers illegally boarded the vessel and looted multiple objects from the vessel’s deck while it was temporarily immobilized.
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During the illegal boarding, the Sea Shepherd crew was able to keep the poachers from entering into the ship, and used an emergency firehose to repel the boarders, while waiting for naval forces to arrive. When a Mexican Naval Helicopter made several passes above the scene, it resulted to the skiffs beginning to disperse.
Concluding, Sea Shepherd has already removed more than 780 pieces of illegal fishing gear from the Upper Gulf of California. That is more than 174,000 meters of illegal gear, directly saving the lives of over 3100 animals.
