Commercial fishers told: Put tracking devices on vessels

An example of a vessel monitoring device installed in ships.
(photo taken from Scotland govenrment webite)

Commercial fishing vessels will soon be monitored through a tracking device to identify them from the illegal fishing operators, the regional Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7) said yesterday.

In yesterday’s 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Hotel, BFAR-7 asst. regional manager Alan Poquita said about P2 million worth of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) devices bought from the US and Japan will be installed on each ship.

“Commercial operators will be encouraged to install the tracking device because it is among the requirements before the issuance of license. Operators will pay P100,000 to install the device on their ships,” Poquita said.

A Schematic on how such device are used by fishery agencies to monitor these vessels.
(photo taken from National Geographic)

Monitoring screens were installed at the BFAR regional office last year where BFAR-7 personnel can detect and identify the specific location of the vessels within the waters of Central Visayas.

“Once a commercial vessel doesn’t have this device then it means that it is illegal, unregistered and undocumented by the BFAR. We believe that with the VMS, it will be of great help to us in the fight against illegal fishing in Central Visayas,” Poquita said.

Republic Act No. 8586 or the Philippine Fisheries Code bans commercial fishing vessels within municipal waters.

Vessels with no VMS tracking device will be seized, Poquita added.

He said they have coordinated with Bantay Dagat and the local officials to deploy 12 patrol boats within the region.

Poquita said seven of the 12 patrol boats have been deployed in Tañon Strait, the largest marine protected area in the country.