ILOILO CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is looking forward to the cooperation of local government units (LGUs) in its campaign against destructive fishing, particularly on the use of Danish Seines or the “hulbot-hulbot”.
BFAR facilitated a consultative dialogue with Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol regarding the amended Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 246 on the banning of Danish Seines and Modified Danish Seine in the Philippine Waters, on Wednesday afternoon at the Western Visayas Agricultural Research Center in Hamungaya, Jaro, this city.
The dialogue gathered local chief executives of coastal towns, Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Navy, Maritime Group of the Philippine National Police, chiefs of police of coastal towns, committee chair on fisheries and agriculture of the Sangguniang Bayan and municipal agriculturist.
BFAR Regional Director for Western Visayas Remia Aparri said that under the amended version, the mere possession of the hulbot-hulbot fishing paraphernalia could lead to apprehension.
Before, law enforcers have to catch them using the paraphernalia before they get apprehended. Aparri lamented that one of their constraints then was that they could not make an arrest if the hulbot-hulbot is just docked at the port area.
“We are expecting for their cooperation because the management of the municipal waters is within their jurisdiction and for the livelihood of the fisherfolk who are dependent on fishing to become sustainable,” she added.
She hoped that with the amendment, they can increase their apprehensions of the destructive fishing gear. From January to July this year, they only recorded 40 apprehensions.
“With this amendment, they can be apprehended just by having mere possession,” Aparri said.
The owner, operator, boat captain, master fisher or recruiter who violates the law will be fined five times the price of the catch or PHP2 million per violation, whichever is higher or imprisonment of two to 10 years.
Meanwhile, fish workers involved shall pay the fine of PHP20,000 or render community service should they are incapable of producing the amount.
The use of hulbot-hulbot destroys the fish sanctuary because it drags the coral reef, which serves as the critical habitat of living organism in the ocean.
The illegal fishing activity is rampant in northern Iloilo, Capiz and Negros Occidental, she revealed.
Piñol signed the FAO 246-1 last July 5 and will take effect July 28, this year.
Meanwhile, the secretary during the dialogue also shared some initiatives of the department to boost the fishing industry in Western Visayas.
He said each coastal town in the country will be provided with a small ice plant facility.
In the province, a cold storage facility will be established to serve as a consolidation hub for the fish catch of local fishermen.
The DA offers a collateral-free loaning program for fish cage operators of up to PHP1 million with an interest of 6 percent per annum.
The secretary also distributed 30 units of 20-footer fiberglass boats and one unit 30-footer fiberglass boat to fisherfolk beneficiaries from the fifth district of Iloilo.
Some 35 stainless fish stall for markets and landing centers were released to Dumangas, northern Iloilo and Iloilo city and 267 farm implements for seaweed growers.
Aparri said that this year, they still have an estimated PHP11 million worth of fishery projects to be turned over and more are still to come. (Perla Lena/PNA)
