Enforcement of coastal laws in Baler Bay is on high gear as local Bantay Dagat (deputized fish wardens) and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have intensified their efforts to protect the bay from illegal fishing. Last week, a joint Bantay Dagat-PNP team of Baler apprehended five unregistered fishermen using prohibited fishing gears. The illegal fishers were taken to the local police station for questioning; their catch and gears were confiscated.

According to Amor Ladiero, Chair of the Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (BFARMC) in Baler, the fishermen were using what is locally known as galadgad (baby trawl), a type of active fishing gear whose use within municipal waters and bays is prohibited by law. Ladiero said somebody tipped off the Bantay Dagat team, who, along with the PNP, immediately responded.

“The apprehension was an offshoot of the no-nonsense campaign of the Inter-Local Government Unit Coastal Resource Management Committee (ILCRMC) that have been encouraging community members to report illegal fishing activities as part of its law enforcement program,” Ladiero said. Also part of the program was the registration of local fishers and gears; those not registered are not allowed to fish.

The ILCRMC, composed of representatives from Baler, Dipaculao, Dinalungan and San Luis, was created through an Executive Order issued by Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo early this year to oversee implementation of the Inter-Local Government Unit Fisheries Management Plan (ILFMP) in Baler Bay. The plan was jointly prepared by the four municipalities with the help of USAID’s Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) Project, implemented with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other partners. EcoGov continues to assist in the implementation of the plan.

...top