CRATES of fish worth P126,000 were seized as evidence of dynamite fishing in Carmen town, northern Cebu.
The boxes of fish weighing 630 kilos were found loaded on a truck with plate number TMP-431, said Marcelo Go, head of Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force.
Go said the truck had 28 boxes of fish, but only contents of nine boxes were caught through dynamite fishing.
The rest of the crates were returned to caretakers aboard the truck who said they didn’t know who owns the cargo.
The truck came from Medellin town and was headed to Pasil, Cebu City when it was intercepted at 12:45 a.m. yesterday.
At the Capitol compound, where the fish were laid out for viewing by officials, Go discovered with surprise that about 30 kilos of seized fish were missing after their turnover to the Capitol.
Boxes of confiscated fish caught using dynamite were brought to the Capitol after a truck was intercepted in Carmen town. But later at the Capitol compound, about 30 kilos were pilfered. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
“Napansin ko na noong na-iturn over ko sa guard kase dapat tingnan yon ni vice governor for disposition. Mukhang kulang na (I noticed that after I turned it over to the guard for the vice governor to check for disposition, it looks like there’s some already lacking),” said Go.
Go said the apparent pilferaged will be investigated.
Under Republic Act 10654 which amends the Fisheries Code with higher penalties, dynamite fishing is punished with six years imprisonment, said Go. But under Provincial Ordinance 2012-5, the fine for transporting blasted fish is P5,000 per kilo.
The confiscated fish will be donated to charitable institutions, Go said.