A Brownsville shrimp boat captain says something underwater damaged his fishing equipment and forced his crew off the water.

Shrimp boat captain Juan Pablo Sandoval Perez and his crew are docked at the shrimp basin in Brownsville after their equipment got caught on what they describe as a large, thick piece of metal in the water.

"When I felt a hit, then another hit—the third hit sent my boat veering all the way to the right," Sandoval Perez said.

He says it happened last Wednesday about eight miles off Boca Chica Beach.

The crew was working in fishing grounds they've used for years when the object caught their equipment.

"We couldn't pick it up because it broke everything it broke the nets, the chains and broke my doors. It was a huge loss," Sandoval Perez said.

Repairing the damage is costly. Each net costs about $3,000, and with four nets on the boat, that's about $12,000 worth of nets alone. That doesn't include other damaged equipment or the money the crew is losing while they can't work.

"We earn based on production... we make money based on how much we catch at sea based on shrimp production. We don't have a salary," Sandoval Perez said.

Right now there's no way to confirm exactly what they hit or where it came from. Sandoval Perez believes it could be connected to SpaceX operations in the area.

"It has to be something to do with those rockets from Boca Chica, because that had never happened before, never," Sandoval Perez said.

The shrimpers say they've reached out to members of SpaceX's recovery team but have not received a response. Channel 5 News also reached out to SpaceX on Thursday and has not heard back.

Channel 5 News asked the FAA what requirements apply to debris in the water. The agency said if large floating debris creates a navigational hazard, SpaceX is required to sink or recover it. The FAA said marine operators should report navigational hazard concerns to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Channel 5 News also reached out to the Coast Guard and asked who is responsible for investigating underwater debris concerns. The Coast Guard said there isn't one answer because different agencies can be responsible depending on what is found and the circumstances.

The Coast Guard said it can document a report like this and could investigate, but information about a specific case may not be available until an investigation is complete.

The Coast Guard confirmed it received a report from a mariner last week about possible SpaceX debris.

"I'm working on my land, the same land I've been using every year," Sandoval Perez said. "It's not fair for us to just sit with our arms crossed."

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