By Manny Piñol
On Wednesday, following reports and complaints by Zambales fishermen of unabated illegal fishing in the waters off the western seaboard of Luzon Island, I ordered the creation of the West Philippine Sea Task Force Against Illegal Fishing.
The WPS-TFAIF will be headed by the director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), retired Coast Guard Commodore Eduardo Gongona who holds the rank of UnderSecretary in the Dept. of Agriculture.
I directed UnderSecretary Gongona to utilize the modern vessels of the BFAR in the campaign against illegal fishing activities and also tap the Philippine Coast Guard in the task.
Local government officials in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte will also be engaged in the effort to stop destructive fishing in the area.
The DA will also tap local fishermen and assign lawyers to the Task Force to handle the filing of cases against those who will be caught by the WPS-TFAIF.
Zambales fishermen who attended the forum in Masinloc, Zambales on Wednesday said the Illegal Fishers also include foreigners – mostly Vietnamese, Chinese and Taiwanese – who venture to as close as 50 miles off the coast of the Western Seaboard of Luzon.
Local illegal fishers are also involved in the use of destructive fishing methods like dynamite-blasting and cyanide.
The country needs to protect and conserve its fish and marine resources for the growing Filipino population and the organization of the WPS-TFAIF will be relentlessly pursued.
Also, a 3-month closed season for fishing will be enforced in the municipal fishing grounds in all parts of the country to ensure that the fish are allowed to spawn.
During the 3-month closed season, the DA-BFAR will implement livelihood programs for the affected fishermen including the clean up of the waters and the planting and rehabilitation of the mangroves.
Illegal fishers who will be captured, both local and foreign, will be dealt with the full force of the law.
Illegal fishing has to end.
(File photos of the BFAR and Coast Guard vessels downloaded from Google.)
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