Joint Operation Apprehends Vessels Using Destructive Fishing Methods in Samar Sea

 

TACLOBAN CITY – A joint seaborne operation on Thursday led to the apprehension of two commercial fishing vessels engaged in destructive fishing methods in Samar Sea.

The team, composed of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' (BFAR) Fisheries Protection and Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG) and the Philippine Coast Guard, confiscated a modified Danish seine, an illegal fishing gear known locally as "hulbot-hulbot."

This gear includes a conical net with wings, connected to a rope embedded with buri, plastic strips, sinkers, or similar materials, serving as a scaring/herding device. Hauling ropes pass through a ring permanently attached to a tom weight and are hauled through a mechanical winch or by manpower.

“The use of 'hulbot-hulbot' has been banned in the Philippines because of its destructive effect on marine habitats. Its tom weights and heavily weighted scorelines contribute to the destruction of marine habitats as well as fishery resources, destroying coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other fishery marine life habitats, which take many years to recuperate,” explained BFAR Eastern Visayas regional director Hannibal Chavez in a phone interview on Friday.

The two vessels and the confiscated illegal fishing gear are impounded at the FPLEG substation in Carigara, Leyte, for “proper disposition and custodial safekeeping.”

One crew member from the vessel operating in Tarangnan town was apprehended and later released after an investigation. The other crew member operating the vessel caught near Daram Island disembarked and abandoned the boat. BFAR has requested the vessel owner to surrender to FPLEG stations.

If proven guilty, offenders may face penalties as high as PHP2 million for violating Fisheries Administrative Order 246-1 (Banning of Operation of Danish Seine and Modified Danish Seine in Philippine Waters) and other sections of the amended Fisheries Code of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the owner of the abandoned CFV will face an additional administrative fine ranging from PHP1 million to PHP2 million for violating Section 115 (Obstruction to Fishery Law Enforcement Officer).

Currently, FPLEG is preparing the necessary documents for filing appropriate charges against the alleged transgressors. The BFAR regional office will also deploy an additional patrol boat in Samar Sea to deter illegal fishing activities. (PNA)