A group of fishermen found papers inside bags filled with waste floating off the coast of Port Canaveral that link the garbage to a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. However, how the bags got in the ocean remains a mystery, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.

Three hours into a fishing trip, several fishermen discovered a number of trash bags floating about 80 miles off the shore of Port Canaveral.

The men videotaped the garbage and oil leaking out of the bags and provided Local 6 News with the tape. The men requested anonymity for the story.

"I'm leaning over the side of the boat and I'm cutting into the bag and I had to come back because I almost threw up," one of the fishermen said. "I was gagging because the smell was so bad."

"You would have thought it was something dead," one of the fishermen said. "It smelled like decaying meat. Like a body or something. It was a mix of garbage in there. I pulled out papers at the end."

When a fishermen grabbed a piece of paper from one of the bags filled with waste, he noticed it was off a U.S. ship.

"It is off a U.S. ship, are you recording?" the man said on videotape while holding the paper. "U.S. Coast Guard vessel Diligence WMECM6 Wilmington, North Carolina -- that is where this bag of trash came from."

The current Coast Guard Cutter Diligence 6 has a legacy of protecting our environment, Local 6 reporter Mike Holfeld said.

"What they do is incredible, but I can't imagine them throwing trash off," a fisherman said.

"And that is what the paper suggests?" Holfeld asked.

"It certainly looks that way," the fisherman said.

Local 6 confirmed the receipt found in that bag was for tug boat service for the Diligence and presented the videotape to the Coast Guard.

Officials in West Virginia conducted an investigation, Holfeld said.

Monday, Vice Admiral Vivian Crea, who is the commander of the Atlantic-area U.S. Coast Guard wrote: "I was surprised and concerned that a plastic bag containing a document tied to one of my ships was found floating in the ocean." Unfortunately, the investigation was unable to determine exactly how the bag ended up in the ocean."

"Accidental or intentional, the vice admiral makes it clear proper protocol for garbage disposal will be followed," Holfeld said. "We appreciate the Coast Guard's honesty and quick response."

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, it is illegal to dump or discharge plastic or garbage mixed with plastic into any waters.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.