Thursday, September 18, 2008 Fishery office urges city to stop illegal fishing By Carlo P. Mallo
AS DYNAMITE fishers continue with their illegal activity off the coasts of the barangays of Ilang and Tibungco, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) 11 looks on to the local government unit to put a stop to it.
"Under the Fisheries Code or Republic Act 8550, the jurisdiction over the municipal waters lies with the local government, not with us," George Campeon, BFAR 11 director, said in Wednesday's Ugnayan sa Mandaya at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Reports reaching Sun.Star showed that dynamite fishers are back in the coasts of Ilang and Tibungco here in the city.
"But it doesn't mean that we are not doing anything, we are coordinating with the concerned agencies," Campeon said.
The BFAR 11 director said they are already in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in order to put a halt to the perennial problem of dynamite fishing.
RA 8550 provides that the first 15 kilometers from the shoreline would be referred to as municipal waters and will be under the jurisdiction of the local government unit.
"After the first 15 (kilometers), it is already under our jurisdiction," Campeon said.
Dynamite fishing has always been a problem in the Davao Gulf, particularly in the vicinity of Tibungco and Ilang in Davao City and in the coastal villages of Compostela Valley.
