Fish Law 8550 to be strictly implemented; local Fish Office to investigate

By PJTremedal, BND MisOC-CIB/OCM

Oroquieta City – Using of compressor or raw oxygen to breathe within 40 or more fathoms under the sea is not illegal, per see, but it can be used as an accessory for an illegal method of fishing, like cyanide fishing or blast fishing and this can be punished pursuant to Fishery Act 8550.

In the recent Sanggunian Panlungsod regular session, Mr. Noel Piola, Supervising Agriculturist and manager of the City’s Fish Sanctuary in Barangay Mobod asked for replacement of a fish deputized warden which during last year’s of operation, a certain SPO4 Roxas was designated.

However, Mr. Poila said that the latter retired. And because of the risk of the Seaborne Operation they need a regular armed fish warden which is a police officer, this, his management prompted to ask the Sanggunian to help the Seaborne Patrol under the fish sanctuary management to have a new designated police officer to join the patrol 24/7.

In the discussion, the SP is communicating with the local police authority to comment on the request on the city fish sanctuary management, but during the said discussion with during the regular session it came a point that not only the problem of a fish warden was noted but to the problem now faced by the government especially in the implementation of Fishery Law 8550 and its campaign against Illegal Fishing.

By the use of a compressor, complaints received made the Sanggunian to promulgate resolution in the effect of investigating such problem, to include the use of “superlite” in fishing.

Compressor fishing and the use of “superlite” affects the small scale fishing industry which is very primitive to the fishermen of the city. The non-use of compressor and the “superlite” means few catch and affect the economic rights of the small fishermen.

This, prompted the Sanggunian Panlungsod to ask the proponent, Mr. Piola to make an investigation of the said complaints and the proper implementation of the Fishery Act 8550 in the territorial waters of Oroquieta City and its campaign against illegal fishing.

Accordingly, some big fishing company (not from Oroquieta) practice compressor fishing to catch more fish and with the use of “superlite” small fishermen are affected. The use “Superlite” according to Mr. Poila is banned within the territorial waters of Oroquieta in the mid 80’s especially when it surpass the allowable 500 watts light bulb with law to make “apong” the vernacular word of making the school of fish to come nearer to the fishing areas and have an easy catch which small fishers are affected by its use.

With this pronouncement, the Sanggunian Panlungsod is now addressing the problem to help the small scale fishing industry and the city campaign against illegal fishing. (With reports from Mae P. Duque, MT News Network)