Sunday, August 08, 2004 Removal of 500 illegal fish pens in the offing By Bong E. Otadoy
AT LEAST 500 fish pens along the city waterways are due for dismantling by the end of this month as a prelude to the implementation of the new fishery ordinance this September.
More than 800 villagers in the coastal areas in the city applied for an aqua-culture lease agreement, according to the City Agriculture Office (CAO) which is now under the stewardship of Emma Molina, the newly appointed officer-in-charge of CAO.
The clearing operation, which the city government has been conducting, forms part of the implementation of Ordinance Number 1768-2003 otherwise known as the Dagupan City Coastal Fisheries Resources Management Ordinance (DCCFRMO).
CAO, with the assistance of the City Engineer's Office (CEO), City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) and the City Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (CFARMC), have started clearing obstructions within the waters in the coastal villages here.
At least 202.4 hectares of inland waters in Zones 1, 5, 6 and 7 have already been saturated by fish pen operations.
But even so, the proliferation of fish contraptions in the city waters continues to bother the lowly fishermen who lamented that greedy operators of fish pens virtually deprive them of earning a living from their small structures.
The marginal fishermen in the city hopes that Molina will review the application of more than 800 fishermen who wish to be given space in building their fish devices within the designated areas in the city waters.
A few among the discerning residents here, however, expressed fear that the granting of permit to operate fish contraptions as a sole privilege to Dagupeños, may not serve the purpose, in some cases.
A man from Bulacan, who has been staying here for years doing business in the city and who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sun.Star that the privilege would be anathema to the purpose if the beneficiaries are poor fishermen who do not have resources to support the operation of the fish contraptions under the agreement.
Under such a situation, the lowly fishermen could resort to finding investors for whom they could work with under the guise of "dummy" owners before the noses of CAO authorities, the source pointed out.
Sun.Star has yet to reach for Molina for her immediate comments on the matter.
This city has a land area of 4,364 hectares and its inland waters are divided into at least 10 zones located in Barangays Salapingao, Calmay, Carael, Pantal, Bonuan Sabangan, Bonuan Gueset, Bonuan Boquig, Mamalingling and Lomboy.
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