Herrera slams muro-ami fishing

Former Sen. and now Rep. Ernesto Herrera (Lakas) has sought the creation of a government task force that would crack down on commercial fishing operators using muro-ami, a banned fishing method that drives out fish by pounding on coral reefs.

"We condemn muro-ami as an environmentally-destructive fishing method," Herrera, a senatorial candidate of the People Power Coalition, said.

Herrera, former chair of the Senate labor and employment committee, also assailed muro-ami fishing operators "for their brazen disregard of our child protection laws."

Muro-ami fishing boats are known to employ children as divers who pound on coral reefs.

Herrera urged the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Labor and Employment, Social Welfare and Development and the Coast Guard to establish a task force that would crack down on muro-ami fishing.

The authorities in the cities of Puerto Princesa and Dumaguete rescued at least 12 children who escaped from muro-ami fishing boats in recent weeks. The children fled due to harsh working conditions.

Herrera said the authorities should "use the full force of the law in prosecuting muro-ami fishing operators."

"They should be held criminally liable not only for violating our environmental protection laws, but also for illegally employing children under life-threatening working conditions," Herrera added.

"Muro-ami is not only destroying what is left of our coral reefs. It is also endangering our fish supply over the long-term," Herrera warned, adding that about 55 percent of the fish consumed in the country live on coral reefs.

The World Bank, in a recent study, had said that almost 95 percent of the country’s 27,000 square kilometers of coral reefs are in "poor condition" due to destructive fishing methods and overexploitation.