Capitol boat chase illegal fishers up north
TheCapitol will launch on Feb. 16 its first patrol operations of a speedboat against illegal fishers reported to own vast “sea haciendas” in northern Cebu.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will also join a team from the Capitol to help prevent the transport of endangered species.
In a meeting yesterday, the Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force announced that it will kick off operations following the assignment of a Monitoring Control Surveillance (MCS) vessel in Hagnaya Port in San Remegio town.
The vessel owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will be fueled using Capitol funds.
It will be the primary boat for a sea patrol off northern Cebu waters.
The Philippine Navy and Coast Guard will also deploy their own vessels in cooperation with the Bantay Dagat of each town which all have pumpboats.
The task force wanted a bigger ship from the Philippine Coast Guard but Governor Garcia found the fuel price too high at an estimated P32 million a month.
The task force will continue “market denial” operations to confiscate illegally caught fish following the national highway that passes through Liloan town.
The operations will now be in the public market where fish are brought, said Garcia’s consultant, Jose Maria Gastardo.
He said that it was very impractical for them to stay on the highway and use up time unloading the crates.
Gastardo said that they will also be tapping the resources of the IBP and the Provincial Attorney’s Office so that there will also be a lawyer in every operation.
The Task Force will also attend the first Visayan Sea Summit in March.
The provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Masbate and Negros Occidental and concerned mayors will converge in Cebu to step up the campaign against illegal fishing in the Visayan Sea.
Last Nov. 21, the four provinces signed a commitment and declaration to “use our collective powers and resources to restore and conserve the marine resources of the Visayan Marine Triangle, beginning with the Visayan Sea.”
The signing at the Carbin Reef off Sagay City, Negros Occidental was organized by environmentalist lawyer Antonio Opposa.Read More ...
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