Capitol to crack down shark trade; City Hall stalls

THE Cebu provincial governments is stepping up efforts to curtail the shark meat trade, while the Cebu City deferred acting on a measure that would head off the market sale endangered marine animals.

Reacting to reports from this paper and social media outrage, Gov. Hilario Davide III ordered the Capitol’s task force on illegal fishing to apprehend those who are found catching and selling endangered species in the province’s waters.

“That’s a serious offense. Our task force should step up their work. We have to apprehend those responsible for catching thresher sharks and other species,” Davide said yesterday.

Photos of a hammerhead shark being sold in the market of Daanbantayan town in north Cebu and a thresher shark being butchered in the shore of Talisay City have placed the spotlight on a thriving local shark meat trade.

Cebu City Councilor Nida Cabrera said she wants the Market Authority and the Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission to “intensify market denial operations to prevent illegal wildlife trading, including sale of shark meat and other products from endangered species within the jurisdiction of Cebu City.”

Her resolution had to be deferred to next week after other city councilors asked for more details including specific laws banning shark capture and trade.

“I am residing in Pasil and I can see sharks being sold in the Pasil Fish Market,” said Councilor Gerry Carillo.

“But if there aren’t any national laws prohibiting the sale of sharks, we can’t compel fishermen,” Carillo said.

In her proposed resolution, Cabrera wanted to “urgently request” the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) National Director Asis Perez, to issue a Fisheries Administrative Order for a moratorium on catching sharks, parallel with the conduct of a scientific study on the shark population and status in the country.

In the Capitol , Governor Davide said sharks were more valuable alive for tourism.

“Quite frankly, I just knew about the report of sharks being killed in the area. They’re not supposed to be touched or caught. They are only for the eyes because they also help us in tourism,” he said.

“We’ve already given notice to the Bantay Dagat to perform their functions seriously. Here in the province, that’s why we have this task force on illegal fishing and we’ve had success in catching violators,” added Davide.

The capture and sale of thresher sharks, which are commonly found in Malapascua Island in north Cebu, has been banned since 2002 in a Cebu provincial ordinance, but the list is being expanded to other vulnerable species, like hammerhead sharks.

During last Monday’s regular session, Cebu Provincial Board (PB) Member Thadeo Ouano moved to amend Provincial Ordinance No. 2012-05 or the Provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Ordinance of Cebu to include three species of hammerhead sharks.

According to Davide, they were not able to take up the conservation of endangered species since the discussion focused more on illegal fishing and the destruction it brings to corals underneath the sea.