RedactedNarrative: On March 2, 2020, LDWF Enforcement Agent was notified of a possible boat incident that had occurred on February 28, 2020. the incident had occurred near the mouth of Northeast Pass, in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Venice, LA. The agent was informed of the incident by Sea Tow employee I1, who had salvaged the vessel after it sank. The agent responded to Myrtle Grove Marina where the vessel was being kept by Sea Tow until it was to be released to the owner or insurance company.
  
  Upon responding to Myrtle Grove Marina the investigator found the vessel loaded on its trailer and being inventoried by I1 with Sea Tow. The investigator briefly interviewed I1 who informed the agent that he had responded to a call of a sunk vessel and was tasked with the recovery. I1 stated that the two occupants were rescued from the vessel by another passing vessel and were brought safely back to Venice Marina on Feb 28, the day of the incident. He stated he responded the following day and found the vessel in approximately 8 ft of water, mostly submerged at N 29*07.998 W 089*02.228. He was able to recover the vessel and tow it to Venice. He stated that upon getting the vessel trailered, he could observe large amounts of water, mixed with fuel, pouring out of the starboard hull of the vessel. He stated he suspected a through hull puncture into the gas tank but had not fully inspected the vessel yet. 
  
  The investigator then inspected the vessel, taking photographs throughout the inspection.  The vessel is a Hydrocat 290B Catamaran registered out of Texas, TX. During the inspection the investigator found a large crack in the center of the starboard hull, approximately four feet long. The crack was split wider to the stern, approximately 1/2 inch- 1 inch wide and tapered tighter toward the bow. Aquatic grass was found caught in the crack towards the stern. 
  
  The investigator was unable to find any impact marks on the hull or starboard motor to indicate the vessel had struck a solid object which could have caused the damage.  The investigator did not find any other major damage on the outside of the vessel, besides normal scuffs and scratches. The investigator was then able to inspect the inside of the starboard hull. He was not able to see through the hull but found significant structural damage to the interior framing and fiberglass of the vessel, which could weaken the structural integrity of the vessel. 
  
  Cracking was found along the center and stern hull braces of the interior starboard hull, along as down the center of the interior of the starboard hull. The cracking seen along the center of the interior of the hull correlated with the crack found along the outside of the hull.