| BFAR-7 photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The harvest, possession, and sales of giant clams locally known as “taklobo” is punishable under Philippine laws.
Officials of the Negros Oriental Provincial Fishery Office (PFO) reiterated their warning following the confiscation of P255 million worth of giant clams during a February 12 operation that was led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Negros Oriental.
An advisory posted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas (BAFR-7) quoted Section 102, paragraph b of Republic Act 10654 or “An Act to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing” that amended by RA 8550 or “The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998” that prohibits “fishing or taking of rare, threatened or endangered species.”
“It shall be unlawful to fish, take, catch, gather, sell, purchase, possess, transport, export, forward or ship out aquatic species listed in CITES Appendices II and III if scientific assessments show that population of the species in the wild cannot remain viable under pressure of collection and trade,” its states.
Upon the determination of administrative liability, the violator/s may be asked to pay a fine equivalent to three times the value of the confiscated species or P300,000 to P3 million “whichever is higher, and forfeiture of the species.”
Conviction by a court of law will make the offender serve five to eight years in jail and pay a fine that is twice the administrative fine and forfeiture of the species.
The BFAR-7 advisory said that giant clams are supposed to be conserved. /dbs