Thursday, March 27, 2008 Commercial fishers threaten Davao Gulf By Carlo P. Mallo
APART from destructive methods of fishing, pollution, and the proliferation of the parasitic crown of thorns in the Davao Gulf, another major cause of the depletion of resources in the gulf is the intrusion of commercial fishing vessels within municipal waters.
In an interview Wednesday with Davao Gulf Management Council (DGMC) chair Leonardo R. Avila III, he said the commercial fishing vessels that enter the municipal waters of the gulf pose the threat on it.
Municipal waters are the area from the shoreline to 15 kilometers off to the sea. According to the Local Government Code, fishing activities in the municipal waters are limited to small fisherfolk only in order not to deplete the source of fishes.
"Intrusion of these fishing vessels into the municipal waters is our biggest problem right now," Avila said.
However, he said the local governments comprising the DGMC are already pooling together their resources to address this problem.
"This is their final warning," Avila added.
Avila, together with representatives from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), vowed to crack down on the commercial fishing vessels that continue to encroach into municipal waters.
"We will be seriously addressing this issue," Avila said.
