BFAR-7 photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Corals play an important role in the protection of our coastlines against natural calamities like storms and erosions.
Dr. Allan Poquita, Central Visayas director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7), said corals also provide a healthy habitat for fish and other marine organisms thus helping those who depend on the sea for their livelihood.
With these, Poquita is urging the public “not to patronize people who sell corals as home decorations or souvenirs to help curb the illegal shipment of corals.”
On Friday, July 16, personnel of the Fisheries Resource Protection Group (FRPG) of the Department of Agriculture – BFAR-7 Fisheries Management, Regulatory and Enforcement Division confiscated 1, 210 pieces of live corals worth P7.26 million at the Hagnaya port in San Remegio town in northern Cebu.
Most of the confiscated items were doughnut corals, BFAR-7 said in an advisory.
But as of this writing, it remains unclear if the corals were shipped to Cebu or were to be transported to other areas outside the province.
The corals were placed in styro boxes that were abandoned at the port area. Of which, 1, 103 pieces were small sized while 107 pieces were medium sized.
| BFAR-7 photo
BFAR-7 said the corals are now kept at their Multi-Species Hatchery located in Barangay Kawit in Medellin town and will soon be released in one of the marine sanctuaries in Cebu province.
On Tuesday, July 13, the Coast Guard substation in Barangay Hagnaya also seized five boxes of tropical fish that were reportedly shipped from Cawayan town in Masbate province.
The shipment was abandoned upon its arrival at the Hagnaya port.
Meanwhile, Poquita commended Philippine Coast Guard personnel, who are assigned at the Hagnaya Port, for ensuring the implementation of fisheries law here and the rest of Central Visayas.
He also expressed gratitude that “more people are getting involved in helping save the fisheries and aquatic resources that are being exploited in several human activities.”
| BFAR-7 photo