NBI urged to help probe illegal fishing

CEBU, Philippines - An official of Oceana Philippines has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to help look into the continued use of Danish seine fishing in Cebu despite it being banned nationwide.

Lawyer Gloria Ramos, vice president of Oceana Philippines, made the appeal to the NBI following reports that commercial vessels equipped with zippers or hulbot-hulbot is till rampant in northern Cebu.

"It's a ban nationwide but nganong naa pa man na, like sa Hagnaya (San Remigio)" said Ramos.

Oceana and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-7 made it clear during a meeting and press briefing held at the Capitol recently that the ban on Danish seine method of fishing is still in effect.

It was also reported during the meeting that northern Cebu, particularly Daanbantayan and Bantayan Islands, are considered as hotspot for Danish seine fishing.

The same concern was aired out during a fisherfolks' forum earlier this year with local fisherfolks and sea patrol operatives reporting that many Danish seiners in their area were not apprehended because their operators are fielding watchmen at Hagnaya Port to tip them off of the impending anti-illegal fishing operations of the Bantay Dagat.

Danish seine method is carried out with the use of an active fishing gear similar to a small trawl net with very long warps. The boat hauls the long wire warps through a mechanical winch, sweeping the seafloor. The net around the fish and action of the warps herd the fish towards the central part of the net.

In 2013, BFAR issued Fisheries Administrative Order 246 banning Danish seine fishing because it is deemed destructive to the sea bed, including coral reefs, which are the natural habitat of fishes and other aquatic animals.

BFAR-7 assistant director Allan Poquita said the agency is conducting law enforcement campaigns to fisherfolks in the province.

He added that they are also giving out engines for patrol boats with recipient local government units providing the boat as part of empowering the local Bantay Dagat units.

Lawyer Chad Estella, Cebu Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force coordinator, said they are still in the process of procuring patrol boats for their operations.

Poquita said it is still the community that plays a big role in the crusade against illegal fishing, urging them to report the same.

The Philippine Fisheries Code prohibits fishing with the use of active gear in municipal waters. Upon conviction by a court of law, a penalty of two to six years imprisonment will be meted upon the offender.

In September this year, 40 men were charged after being caught fishing using a prohibited Danish seine method in the waters off Kinatarcan islet, Santa Fe town in Bantayan Island.

The operation was made by the members of the Guardian of the Seas, an anti-illegal fishing group of fishermen in northern Cebu.

Ramos said any citizen has the capacity to file action in court and bodies against violators of the fisheries law and even public officers for neglect of their duties.

"The legal standing is not a question now, even whales in Tañon Strait can sue," she said, citing the case filed by fellow lawyer and environmentalist Antonio Oposa, which is now popularly known as the Oposa versus Factoran.

In the said case, the Supreme Court ruled that minors can file a class suit in behalf of their generation and succeeding generations based on the concept of intergenerational responsibility as far as right to a balanced and healthful ecology is concerned.  (FREEMAN)