The Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force (IPBDTF), led by its Team Leader PSSgt Roderick Asturias, apprehended a fishing boat engaged in illegal fishing activity in the vicinity of the marine waters of Brgy. Asluman, Carles, Iloilo last June 10, 2024.
While on seaborne patrol operations, IPBDTF personnel caught the fishermen on board F/B RL engaging in Danish Seine fishing which is illegal under Fisheries Administrative Order 246-1 concerning Sec. 97 of RA 10654.
The team arrested the boat’s captain Vencent Villaceran of Bantayan Island, Cebu together with his 19 crew mostly from Bantayan Island.
Recovered were a Danish Seine fishing net and its accessories along with 30 tubs of assorted fish with an estimated value of more or less PHP 45,000.
Danish Seine is an active fishing gear which consists of a conical net with a pair of wings, the ends of which are connected to a rope embedded with buri, plastic strips, sinkers or any similar materials to serve as scaring/herding device and hauled through a mechanical winch or by manpower.
The said fishing method is believed to destroy coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other fishery marine life habitats.
The seized fishing boat is now in the custody of the IPBDTF while the fish catch was disposed to the district hospitals.
Under FAO 246-1, the owner, operator, and boat captain of the seized fishing boat shall, upon summary finding of administrative liability, suffer the penalty of an administrative fine equivalent to five times the value of fish caught or PHP 2,000,000.00, whichever is higher.
Meanwhile, the crew or fishermen who participated in the operation of the Danish Seine or Modified Danish Seine shall be penalized with a fine of PHP 20,000.00 or community service in case of failure to pay the fine.
To recall, Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. ordered continuous monitoring and operation against illegal fishers, particularly in northern Iloilo, part of the biodiversity-rich Visayan Sea.
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