18 fish pens dismantled in Laguna de Bay

MANILA, Philippines - Eighteen fish pens in Laguna de Bay have been dismantled as part of a crackdown against major fish pen operators, authorities said over the weekend.

Malou Remullar, chief of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) enforcement division, said the dismantled pens cover 800 hectares of the 1,100-hectare area set for clearing operation.

Thirty more large fish pens will be demolished this week, Remullar said.

Some pen operators have been cooperating with the LLDA by voluntarily removing the structure, she said.

Experts have been conducting studies on the lake to determine its carrying capacity to make aquatic resources sustainable.

Among those covered by the demolition are companies and individuals whose pens measure at least 20 and five hectares, respectively.

Pens that block the lake’s navigational lanes and those whose owners defaulted in paying their obligations or operating outside the designated area will be demolished, according to LLDA general manager Jaime Medina.

The LLDA chief clarified that fish pens measuring one hectare or less would not be demolished.