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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Thursday, December 29, 2016
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MANILA – A bill seeks to ban shark and ray fishing in the Philippines.
Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1245 proposed to imprison and fine individuals who catch, sell, purchase, possess, transport, and export sharks and rays across the country.
The measure penalizes violators up to 12 years imprisonment, or a fine of up to P1 million.
Inflicting harm or injury on sharks and rays will face same penalties, SBN 1245 stated.
“No effort must be spared to protect the biodiversity of our waters as well as the natural balance of our marine ecosystem, for the enjoyment and economic benefit of future generations of Filipinos,” said Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, bill author.
Citing a report by the Marine Wild Fauna Watch of the Philippines Inc., Zubiri said the country has some 60 species of sharks and 32 species of rays.
The shark population has been under severe pressure in recent years, as the numbers killed have climbed due to demand driven by the fin soup trade in Hong Kong and China, it said.
Manta and mobula rays are also at risk due to the increasing demand for their gills, which are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the value of global trade in shark commodities is at $1 billion per year.
SBN 1245 directs the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to list all sharks and rays as endangered species.
The Department of Tourism and the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, with the BFAR, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and local government units, were also tasked to identifying the habitats of sharks and rays in order to declare these as protected areas./PN
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