ILOILO City – The Regional Maritime Unit 6 (RMU-6) arrested 1,021 persons for illegal fishing across Western Visayas in eight months of operations.
Data from the RMU-6 also showed that from January to August this year, they had collected around P2 million in administrative penalties.
Of the 1,021 violators, 237 were charged in court, 473 were fined and the rest were also charged for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10655, or an Act to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing amending RA 8550, otherwise known as The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.
These anti-illegal fishing operations were also in coordination with other local government units, according to RMU-6 director Colonel Ervin Glenn Provido.
“Our coral reefs and small fish are really affected of their illegal fishing activity. Most of those arrested violated municipal ordinances,” Provido said
In Iloilo Province, the RMU-6 is coordinating with the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force and the Iloilo Police Provincial Office in curbing illegal fishing particularly in the northern part.
“I tasked my men to monitor illegal fishing in northern Iloilo and those engaged in dynamite making,” he added./PN
