Shark fins drying under the sun in Lapu-Lapu city yard.
CEBU province moved one step closer to fully protect sharks in the waters of Cebu.
The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) last Monday approved on second reading an amendment to a 2012 fisheries ordinance to include a ban on the possession of shark body parts.
This includes the fins, tail, jaw and bladder of all shark species.
Sharks continue to be hunted for their meat for food, especially their fins which are served in exotic Chinese soup.
The export of hundreds of dried shark fins was dramatically noticed last year when a processing plant in Lapu-Lapu city was the subject of complaints by neighbors about the bad odor coming from the premises.
Capitol anti-illegal fishing inspectors have also intercepted truck deliveries of whale shark meat heading to Lapu-Lapu city for processing into fishballs and seafood tempura.
Ordinance 2012-05 or the Provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ordinance of Cebu already bans the killing, harvest or sale of all species of sharks and the indiscriminate removal of seaweed.
The proposed tweaks align ordinance penalties with the Philippine Fisheries Code as amended by Republic Act No. 10654.
Erring boat captains or the three top-ranked boat officers will be charged P5,000 for the first offense. A P500 fine will be paid by each fisherman or worker that also took part in the offense.
For ever kilo of shark caught or sold, a violator will be fined P1,000.
The restrictions won’t apply if there’s a special permit for possessing shark species for scientific or educational purposes.
Permits or licenses will come from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Governor’s Office.
Confiscated shark meat or body parts either have to be buried or turned over to an academic research or education facility for non-commercial use with appropriate permits.
The meat can also be turned over to a government or private facility in need of protein supply such as prisons, wildlife rescue centers, and animal rescue centers, according to the proposal.
The goal is to fully implement the ordinance for the protection of Cebu province fisheries and aquatic resources, said PB Member Thadeo Ouano, head of the committee on the environment and natural resources.
The provincial ordinance was passed in 2012 and amended two years later in Ordinance No. 2014-15 to include among others, the prohibition on fishing, taking, transporting, dealing in, and selling of all shark species.
The commercial gathering, harvest, sale and export of of brown algae (Sargassum) and seagrass within Cebu province is also banned.
The proposed 2015 amendment will also align Cebu province’s ordinance with other Philippine laws on illegal fishing and protection of wildlife.