1,987 persons nabbed, P70M worth of illegal fishing paraphernalia seized in one year in EV

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
August 15, 2013

CAMP KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte – Almost 2,000 persons were arrested and around 70 million pesos worth of illegal fishing paraphernalia were confiscated as the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) stepped-up its campaign against illegal fishing in the seawaters surrounding Eastern Visayas in his one year stint as the region’s top cop, said PRO8 director PCSupt. Elmer R. Soria.

“Illegal fishing destroys breeding areas and eventually kills small fishes even before they reach maturity. Among the first directive we issued when I assumed post as regional director is the intensified enforcement of Philippine Fisheries Code and local ordinances protecting our marine environment,” Soria added.

The police official informed that from August 6 last year up to August 5 this year, his office has conducted 382 successful seaborne operations which resulted in the arrest of 1,987 persons and the confiscation of P69,600,449.00 worth of illegal fishing paraphernalia.

“A total of 13 cases for violation of RA 8550 were filed in court while others were meted with fines as prescribed by local ordinances,” he disclosed.

He informed that the most common fishing violations are “hulbot-hulbot”, trawl fishing, use of fine mesh nets, use of active gears and use of explosives.

“Illegal fishing practices have been slowly killing the fishing industry. Most of our once rich fishing grounds have been affected by rampant violations and we must put this into halt,” the police official averred.

Meanwhile, police authorities apprehended another fishing boat caught fishing illegally within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing zone in Brgy Victory, Abuyog town in Leyte on Thursday, Soria said.

The police official informed the fishing vessel, reportedly owned by Rolex Tausa with five crew members, was apprehended by a composite team from the Abuyog police station and Bantay Dagat at 2 p.m. while engaged in “pahulbot” fishing.

He said that aside from impounding the fishing vessel, the operator and crew members were also arrested and are now in the custody of the Abuyog police station for proper disposition.