9 held for illegal fishing in Navotas

MANILA, Philippines - Nine fishermen were arrested yesterday for allegedly fishing in Manila Bay off Navotas using a method that destroys the seabed.

Boat captains Jun Esatan and Leomar Jugaran and fishermen Ronulfo Perez, Ervin Tremocha, Floro de la Jente, Rolly and Tirso Beling, Rolando Rusiana and Riche Langit were arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation’s environmental crime division (NBI-EnCD).

The agents also seized motorized bancas F/V Patricia E and F/V Carlos, which weigh up to 23 tons.

They were reportedly caught using the “hulbot” or Danish seine method beyond Pier 2 of the Navotas Fish Port yesterday afternoon.

The practice was banned as it could destroy the seabed, NBI-EnCD chief Czar Eric Nuqui told reporters yesterday.

This method involves putting a steel bar on the sea floor and letting it be dragged by a fine mesh net that is 120 meters long, he said.

“They are fishing in municipal waters, which is intended for substinence fishing that would benefit our small-time fishermen,” Nuqui said.

The suspects would also fish in waters as far as Corregidor and Limay towns in Bataan, he added.

The suspects were said to supply fish to markets in Navotas and Malabon, and even to some restaurants and factories, the NBI said.

The suspects were charged for violating Republic Act 8550, the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, as amended by RA 10654, which penalizes illegal fishing. They were accused of operating a commercial vessel without a license and possession of fishing gear or operating a fishing vessel in a fishing area without a license, among others.