Despite our progressive laws, illegal fishing is still a huge problem. Last week, boxes of fish caught through dynamite fishing from Medellin in northern Cebu were seized in Liloan. Fourteen fishers using the banned hulbot-hulbot or Danish seine fishing method were likewise accosted in Kinatarcan, Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island.
Republic Act 10654 , which amended the Fisheries Code in February this year, increased the penalties of violators of our fisheries laws. This has obviously not deterred the commission of the crime.
Blast fishing destroys our already deteriorating marine ecosystems’ resiliency, and with that, our survival. It should not be taken lightly.
The Oceana Philippines policy paper on blast fishing notes that “…blast fishing hits the hardest – our valuable marine ecosystems including coral reefs. Blast fishing poses one of the biggest threats to coral reef ecosystems. Once a fisherman throws a dynamite to the sea, there is a great possibility that it might hit coral reefs. An explosion on or near a coral reef alters the reef and pulverizes the corals into rubble. As the shock waves kill everything that comes its way, blast fishing affects other marine species necessary for a healthy ecosystem. The explosion upsets the established community of organisms. As a result, affected reefs support fewer fish species and lower fish biomass, resulting in lower fishery production as a consequence of a vastly degraded marine ecosystem.
We can see the immediate effect of this destructive human practice in the bleak situation of our fisheries. Fisheries are a biologically renewable natural resource that can be harvested sustainably up to a certain limit. However, once this limit is reached, the capacity of the resource to replenish itself is severely inhibited. This can be seen in 10 out of the 13 fishing grounds in the country that have been referred to as overexploited by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, no less.”
The good news is there is again visibility by our enforcers in fighting illegal fishing. Visibility can be enough deterrence, for a start. But, since time is of the essence, as our fisheries need to be restored to a sustainable level, the much-needed political will and action to make our laws work is imperative.
The Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force is now engaged in effectively carrying out its mandate. Lawyer Chad Estella, task force coordinator and acting PENRO head, said the task force is embarking on a market denial policy.
It is high time that other local government units especially in Cebu do the same. After all, power and responsibility over the protection of our municipal waters have been devolved to the LGUs. This definitely includes the no-nonsense enforcement of our fisheries laws.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is doing its part in embarking on the training of its enforcers.
Seventy-five personnel of the agency add to the 200 who have completed their skills training in Pagbilao, Quezon.
Agricultural Undersecretary and BFAR Director Asis Perez aims to have a total of 700 enforcers to guard and protect our marine resources and fishing grounds. This program is commendable as it capacitates the enforcers in BFAR to do their jobs well.
According to BFAR Region 7 director Andres Bojos, also the chairperson of the Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region 7 (CLEAR 7), the region has formed the necessary Quick Response Teams to fight illegal fishing, with added support of additional vessels equipped with the essential tools and devices. It is also willing to help capacitate our prosecutors and judges in learning about RA 10654 and the country’s goals of fighting illegal, unregistered and unreported (IUU) fishing.
What is most needed is the required inter-agency coordination and collaboration if we are to be highly effective in the implementation of our laws.
It is strongly suggested that our state enforcement agencies, which include the LGUs, come up with a protocol for each phase of enforcement work. The level of trust needed can only be developed through working together in a collaborative fashion.
Not to be forgotten, of course, is recognizing the key role of the citizens in helping our enforcers protect our oceans.
Women and men in coastal communities, who are deeply affected by the indifference of the LGUs in accosting illegal fishers in the municipal waters, are ready to help in the fight to restore the integrity of our ecosystems. Let us not hesitate to tap them.
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