ILOILO – The Maritime Command (Maricom) in Region 6 has sought the help of the provincial Banta Dagat in running after illegal fishers.
According to Maricom-6 director Police Colonel Policarpio Cayabyab Jr., one of their focus areas is northern Iloilo.
He recently spoke with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. about the illegal fishing problem in the northern part of the province and the tie-up with the Bantay Dagat.
“This is the primary concern of the Iloilo governor. We are thus focusing on this area,” said Cayabyab.
From January to July, Maricom-6 was able to make 622 arrests in 140 operations.
The months of February and July yielded the most number of illegal fishers (171 and 138, respectively), Maricom-6 data showed.
“We expect more arrests in the coming months,” Cayabyab added.
Northern Iloilo is an illegal fishing hotspot in Western Visayas, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Most of the violations are the use of active gears and encroachment of municipal waters by commercial fishing vessels.
Between 2016 to 2018, BFAR Region 6 filed 470 complaints against illegal fishing vessel operators, said Assistant Regional Director Carlito Delfin. Four hundred were already resolved.
The municipal waters of northern Iloilo towns – Carles, Balasan, Estancia, Batad, San Dionisio, Concepcion, Ajuy, Barotac Viejo, and Banate – are part of the marine resource-rich Visayan Sea.
Delfin lamented the difficulty in prosecuting illegal fishing violators. BFAR is the agency under the Department of Agriculture responsible for the development, improvement, law enforcement, management, and conservation of Philippine fisheries and aquatic resources.
To address this prosecutorial concern, BFAR last week simulated an anti-illegal commercial fishing operation for more than two hours in the waters off Iloilo City’s fishing port complex. Some 30 judges and prosecutors from Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Capiz and Masbate were asked to observe.
“They saw how difficult and dangerous our anti-illegal fishing operations are, especially during inclement weather,” said Delfin./PN
