By Sarwell Meniano
TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is stepping up its sea patrol in the Samar Sea, one of the hotspots for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF) in the region.
The BFAR regional office said there have been recent apprehensions of sea vessels engaged in illegal fishing.
“We will deploy additional floating assets in the Samar Sea to significantly deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in this hotspot area,” the BFAR field office said in a statement.
At present, only five boats are patrolling the Samar Sea against IUUF.
The Samar Sea is situated between southern Luzon and eastern Visayas in the Philippines. It is bordered by the provinces of (Western) Samar to the east, Leyte to the south, Masbate to the west, and Northern Samar to the north.
According to the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, before 1981, there were 50 commercial fish species in the Samar Sea.
In a span of 10 years, the number was reduced to just 10 due to overfishing and destructive fishing methods.
The IUUF led to a reduction in average daily catch from 30 kilograms daily in the 1960s to eight kilograms daily in 1981 and 3.5 kilograms daily in 1991.
Just this month, the seaborne patrol teams from BFAR, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy apprehended three fishing boats in the Samar Sea engaged in illegal fishing.
On Jan. 23, an unmarked commercial fishing vessel employing modified Danish Seine gear for fishing was caught operating within the municipal waters of Tarangnan in the Samar Sea.
The team seized illegal fishing gear and 690 kilograms of fish, which were donated to a community in Tarangnan town.
On Jan. 11, two commercial fishing vessels employing similar destructive on Daram Island, also in the Samar Sea, were likewise apprehended.
The illegal fishing gear consists of a conical net with a pair of wings.
Authorities explain that the ends of the illegal gear are connected to a rope embedded with buri (type of palm), plastic strips, sinkers, or any similar materials to serve as a scaring or herding device, such as hauling ropes, passing through a ring and permanently attached to a tom weight and hauled through a mechanical winch or by manpower.
If proven guilty, offenders may face fines as high as PHP2 million for violating Fisheries Administrative Order 246-1 (Banning of Operation of Danish Seine and Modified Danish Seine in Philippine Waters) and other sections of the amended Fisheries Code of the Philippines. (PNA)
