At least 27 arrested for illegal fishing

CEBU, Philippines - At least 27 people were arrested after they were caught fishing illegally at the seawaters of Barangay Liloan in the southern town of Santander last Monday morning.

Bantay Dagat personnel and policemen arrested Gigi Marin, 47, and boat captain of F/B Lorna 7; Leon Chaves, 31, co-boat captain; and the boat’s chief engineer Ernesto Baring together with 24 other companions, all from Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental.

Sr. Insp. Erwin Legaspi, chief of the Santander Police, said they immediately patrolled the area following a tip from a concerned citizen. There, they spotted the commercial vessel just about 3.1485 kilometers off the shore.

“Mabaw sila nangisda. Spotted gyud sila mao to gipangdakop (They were fishing in shallow waters so they were spotted easily and arrested subsequently),” Legaspi told The Freeman in a phone interview.

Confiscated from them were the fishing net and the commercial fishing vessel.

Arrested persons violated Municipal Ordinance 047 series of  2004 Article III Section 4 Paragraph 6 or Santander Coastal Resources Management Ordinance of 2004.

But, arrested persons were released after they paid P67,500 administrative fine to the municipal government.

“Ang isda wala ray nakuha kay gipangbuhian ra man tanan,” Legaspi said.

The locality of Santander has been in a strict fight against illegal fishers to protect their marine sanctuary which serves as the source of livelihood of most people in the coastal areas of the town.— (FREEMAN)