US vessel that fished illegally in Mexico reveals gaps in environmental law enforcement

In 2017, the Revillagigedo Archipelago became the largest fully protected marine reserve in North America. That year, the Mexican government granted it the most restrictive conservation status under its legislation, and prohibited both fishing and natural resource extraction across its 14,808,780 hectares. The move was quickly hailed as a global example of sound conservation policy.

Despite this, a U.S. yacht is believed to have been illegally entering the Revillagigedo ecosystem for eight years, according to scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The vessel is the Red Rooster III, operated by Lee Palm Sportfishers, which organizes sport fishing trips out of San Diego, California. “This activity is completely prohibited in Revillagigedo, and it wouldn’t be the only irregularity that this vessel has committed,” says Fabio Favoretto, a scientific data analyst for marine and coastal issues at the research center, whose mission, among other activities, is to monitor marine vessels in real time through the Skylight satellite monitoring tool.

“Thanks to this free tool, we can detect vessels entering the park illegally and report them to the appropriate authorities,” adds Favoretto, part of the team that monitored the illegal presence of the U.S.-flagged yacht in Mexican waters.

The alarm first sounded on January 27 of this year, when the Skylight platform was activated and alerted researchers and park rangers from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). According to satellite records, the Red Rooster III entered the park’s protected area and spent time near Clarión Island, one of the four volcanic islands that make up the archipelago, displaying zigzagging movements generally associated with tuna and wahoo fishing activities, two species of high commercial value.

In addition to allegedly violating the fishing ban, the U.S. vessel failed to notify the relevant authorities of its entry into the protected area. The regulatory framework for these territories stipulates that anyone using the park must notify CONANP, even if they are observing wildlife or flora, or diving, the only activities permitted in the area. The U.S. yacht “wasn’t engaging in innocent passage,” adds Favoretto, the name given to the permit that all vessels crossing the maritime territory of other countries must have. “So it could have violated more than one Mexican law,” the scientist clarifies.

Reconstruction

According to satellite records, after the initial alert, the U.S.-flagged vessel sailed through the protected natural area for several days without notifying the authorities until, on February 8, while near the U.S. border and returning to San Diego, it turned on its Automatic Identification System (AIS) again. This device transmits the location, identity, heading, and speed of vessels so that other ships and port offices can be aware of their presence and avoid collisions. AIS is mandatory for vessels over certain dimensions and for all passenger vessels, regardless of size.

“This 105-foot vessel meets both requirements for mandatory signaling. However, the Red Rooster III has a history of turning off its AIS right near the preserve polygon,” the scientist warns. “This time, probably by mistake, they left the signal on, and we were able to catch and investigate them.”

In addition to satellite tracking, the team also detected a post on the vessel’s official Facebook channel with evidence of irregular activity. In a photo shared on social media, published on January 29, days after capturing the ship’s signal inside the park, two fishermen appear posing with several freshly caught yellowfin tuna.

On March 5, 2025, the scientific team and CONANP park rangers received another warning about the vessel’s entry into the Revillagigedo National Park. On March 6, thanks to exhaustive monitoring, they were able to detect that it had reached the vicinity of Clarión Island.

“The last record is from March 14, when it left the park,” explains the expert, whose team was able to detect the vessel’s history. “Thanks to the satellite platform, we can perfectly observe the gaps from when they switched the system off and on, a serious mistake for them because we can reconstruct everything from that,” he adds.

By analyzing the available historical data on the vessel’s activity, obtained from the Global Fishing Watch platform, investigators realized that the ship had been illegally entering the largest protected natural area in North America for years. “We have multiple pieces of evidence of all the times it has entered. Tracing the oldest trips, we have at least eight incursions into the park,” reveals Favoretto.

The evidence shows that, upon entering Revillagigedo National Park, the vessel always switches off its AIS, “with all the implications that this entails.” This newspaper contacted Lee Palm Sportfishers to get their version of events, but did not receive a reply.

Lack of coordination between authorities

Once all the information was gathered, CONANP reported the situation to the Mexican Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA). “Given the evidence of alleged environmental crimes within protected natural areas, our obligation is to prepare a document that is technically and legally supported by evidence that an irregularity is suspected,” stated Benito Bermúdez, director of CONANP’s Baja California Peninsula and North Pacific Region. Since then, they are still awaiting action from their superiors. PROFEPA, which this newspaper contacted, has declined to comment.

For its part, Mexico’s Ministry of the Navy (Semar) stated in an emailed response that “monitoring of the area has been increased in order to intensify possible movements in Revillagigedo National Park by the Red Rooster vessel.” However, they report that they “do not have any other type of information” beyond the satellite platform alerts. These statements provoke concern from a park ranger at the natural area — who prefers to remain anonymous. “We are concerned about the lack of capacity to act and respond to environmental crimes by some of the authorities involved in the protection of the park.”

Although the Mexican government announced earlier this year the implementation of innovative technologies and strategies for the conservation and management of Revillagigedo National Park, “there’s no point in having the technologies if it is not followed up by a legal framework,” says the scientist Favoretto, who also warns about the lack of action protocols when vessels turn off their satellite monitoring systems.

Bermúdez, from CONANP, adds that “a lot of work is being done to ensure appropriate regulations and to update regulatory frameworks based on these new technologies.” In 2018, he explains, they had a similar case involving a tourist vessel near Clarión Island. Although CONANP filed a complaint and an inspection was carried out in conjunction with agents from the Navy, “the crime could not be proven, even with evidence that illegal fishing had taken place. The chapter was closed, and we are not satisfied with the procedure,” Bermúdez states. Furthermore, as he notes, this new case is “now the responsibility of PROFEPA in coordination with Semar and diplomatic bodies, because it involves a foreign vessel. We must act in accordance with international law.”

Disappointed by the lack of action from the relevant authorities, Favoretto laments: “What’s the point of designating a protected natural preserve by decree if the law is later not upheld?”

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