WHY BICOL FISHING INDUSTRY IS DYING: Overfishing, corruption July 25, 2013 by bicolmail in Top Stories with 0 Comments By MAR S. ARGUELLES DONSOL, Sorsogon — Widespread corruption and uncooperative local chief executives are the major factors that hamper the government’s campaign against illegal fishing which according to a study is killing the industry, a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) official said on Saturday. Francisco Ombao, BFAR Fisheries Regulatory and Law Enforcement Division chief, has put to task the indifference of local officials in implementing the campaign against illegal fishing activities. Ombao cited instances where commercial fishing vessels were sighted operating within the 15 kilometer zone reserved for municipal fishers, along the Ticao-Burias Pass, that cover the provinces of Sorsogon, Masbate, Albay, and Camarines Sur. Commercial fishing vessel of more than 3 tons are prohibited to fish within the zone reserved for municipal fishermen. Ombao at a press conference here lamented the lack of support and political will of local chief executives, especially those of coastal towns, and the overlapping of functions of enforcers that all contribute to the weak implementation of the government’s anti-illegal fishing measures. He claims that corruption is getting its toll at the highest levels wherein coastal town mayors allegedly receive millions of pesos in grease money to allow commercial fishing vessels to illegally operate in their respective coastal waters. Implementation of fishery laws and regulation has been devolved to the local government units concerned as provided for in the Local Government Code. Ombao said LGUs are empowered to carry out this law, saying, “with the police and village chiefs, and hundreds of barangay Tanods and other resources under him, I could not imagine how the campaign would fail.” Ombao said his office is planning to file administrative and criminal charges against local town mayors found coddling illegal fishing operators. The charges will also include citing the poor performance of uncooperative LGUs in the anti-illegal fishing campaign. Asked to name operators of commercial fishing vessels violating the 15km zones which are reserved for municipal fishing, Ombao cited the 8 fishing vessels reported in this paper last week caught fishing off the restricted seawaters of Ticao-Burias Pass on the southwestern portion of the Bicol mainland. Ombao named the errant fishing vessels as those operated by Divine Mercy Fishing Corp., which is owned by Rodolfo Apuli, a resident of Pioduran, Albay, vessel owned by one Atty. William Enrile of Naga City and Camarines Norte, and three more vessels owned by a Lucena-based fishing operator. Vince Cinches, Ocean Campaigner Greenpeace Southeast Asia, at the press conference, confirmed Ombao’s revelation that corruption and the uncooperativeness of local executives over the campaign against illegal fishing are signs of a “weak institution to enforce the law.” Over a thousand people from the local government, academe, youth, NGOs, Church and the fishing sector trekked a 10-kilometer road Saturday last week from the town proper of Donsol, Sorsogon to Vitton Beach Resort bearing streamers with various slogans denouncing illegal fishing practices. The march was joined by campaigners from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza (Hope) which anchored off the coast of Donsol, Sorsogon, around 47 kilometers from this city. The Esperanza which is touring the Philippine waters to promote ocean protection arrived on Saturday in Donsol town straight from a five-day sea patrol against illegal fishers which was conducted jointly with representatives from BFAR in Bicol. According to Prof. Victor Soliman of the Bicol University a recent study indicates overfishing in Burias and Ticao Pass which is an urgent concern that must be addressed. The study further claims that intrusion of commercial fishers in Donsol reaped some 12,000 metric tons of fish annually while municipal fishers have to divide their collective annual catch of only 1,350 metric tons. “The fishing exploitation level went over the optimum as Donsol fisher folk are presently earning P2,000 a month,” Soliman said. Statistics show that the fishery sector only contributes about 2.4 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council in the Ticao-Burias Pass is pushing for the following measures: a total ban against commercial fishing; declare a close season for fishing, and; declare Ticao-Burias Pass as fish sanctuary. Reports said 10 of the 13 fishing grounds in the country are heavily exploited due to overfishing, two of these overfished spots are in Bicol. Ticao Pass and Burias Pass, located on the western coast of Bicol, have been listed as two of the country’s major fishing grounds. This area is also considered as the Manta bowl and Whale Shark capital of the country. bicolmail/2012/?p=9995
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 19:52:02 +0000
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