Fishing vessels checked

Three commercial fishing vessels were apprehended last week by the joint team of El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area Rangers for illegal fishing within the municipal waters of Tapiutan Island in El Nido, Palawan and prohibited use of fishing gear "hulbot-hulbot."

The Protected Area Rangers, composed of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and conservation organization WWF-Philippines, said yesterday the apprehended vessels were F/B Tricia I, F/B Tiger Shark 2 and F/B Laura during a regular patrol of the waters surrounding Tapiutan Island in the early hours last Feb. 11 for violation of Sections 78 and 85 of the Municipal Fishery Code. The three vessels were found using Danish seines, known locally as "hulbot-hulbot" within the zone reserved exclusively for hook and line fining. This type of fishing gear and their operation within the municipal waters is illegal in the Philippines because of the indiscriminate way it scoops up fish and marine life vital to the maintenance of sustainable fisheries.

According to the joint team, the fishing method done by F/B Tricia I and F/B Tiger Shark 2, from Navotas, and F/B Laura, which came from Tumbod, Taytay, generates a tremendous amount of waste.