SAN JOSE, Antique – The Antique maritime police filed a complaint for illegal fishing against a boat captain and his 17 crew members caught using the illegal and destructive Danish seine fishing gear (locally called hulbot-hulbot) in the municipal waters of Patnongon on Aug. 26.
Antique maritime police chief Lieutenant Jose Leonio Lisbo said the criminal case for violation of Republic Act 10654 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 was filed before the Antique Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on Sept. 1.
An administrative case for violation of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 246-1 that bans the use of seine fishing in the Philippine waters was filed with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Office 6 yesterday.
The fishing vessel (F/V) St. Francis came from Bantayan, Cebu and was first spotted by concerned citizens in the waters of Patnongon in the first week of August.
“We were able to apprehend the boat captain and his crew upon the information we received from concerned citizens,” said Lisbo.
Boat owner Victoria Ducay was not included in the criminal case but only in the administrative case because she was not on board the vessel when the operation happened.
The owner also alleged that she did not know that the boat captain and his crew were already operating in the municipal waters of Patnongon.
Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) chief Nicolasito Calawag said Danish seine is prohibited because it destroys coral reefs and seabed communities using weighted nets that are dragged along the ocean floor.
“The municipal water of Patnongon is a rich fishing ground for mackerel. We need to protect the coral reefs and seabed communities that serve as habitat for the fish,” Calawag said.
The boat captain and crew members are now back in Bantayan, Cebu and will be served with a court subpoena after the filing of charges, Calawag said. (PNA)
