10 Vietnamese poachers detained in Puerto Princesa

The 10 Vietnamese fishermen found poaching off Palawan on Saturday are now in jail and their boat impounded.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcom Sarmiento said the 10 are detained at the Provincial Jail of Puerto Princesa and their vessel, Thanh Long, held at the Port of Puerto Princesa.

Sarmiento said the fishermen may post bail for their temporary liberty since poaching is bailable, but he stressed he would seek the issuance of a hold-departure order on the 10 to prevent them from leaving the country.

Sarmiento also said the 10 fisherman would not be charged with violation of the country’s wildlife trade laws since their contraband turned out to be ordinary stingrays and not the endangered manta rays.

BFAR conducted laboratory tests on meat samples of the chopped rays found on the Vietnamese vessel. BFAR also clarified that the recovered 300 kilograms of dried shark’s fins already included the chopped stingrays.

"We may not be able to charge them for violations of our wildlife trade laws because the dead rays were found to be ordinary sting rays," Sarmiento told The STAR. "Nevertheless, the evidence we have is enough to charge them with poaching."

BFAR official Sonny Gangan said a joint BFAR and Coast Guard patrol intercepted the 10 fishermen last Saturday morning in the vicinity of Mangsee Island in Balabac, Palawan.

"The Vietnamese vessel was located at 34 nautical miles east of Mangsee Island," Gangan said. "Definitely, they were within Philippine waters."

Thanh Long is the seventh foreign vessel impounded by BFAR since the deployment of its Patrol Boat MCS 3002 in Palawan three years ago.

"The 300 kilograms of marine products seized from their boat are composed of dried sharks’ fins, which are locally known as isudsod, and ordinary sting rays, which were already cut into pieces," Gangan said.

The 10 Vietnamese were charged on Monday before the Puerto Princesa City court for violation of Sec. 97 of the Philippine Fisheries Code or poaching.

The jailed Vietnamese are Yan Leo Nguyen, Ven Hoang Tran, Phuey and Van Throng Nguyen, Hoang Thanh Voong, Nhat Viet and Van Twan Phan, Van Hieu Nguyen, Van Khanh Phan, and Yan Tung Ho.

Also seized from the Vietnamese were two bundles of fish net, water tank, fish finder, magnetic compass and a water pump.

Sarmiento said the Vietnamese fishermen’s catch might have come from as far as Sulu Sea.