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Thursday, December 29, 2005
Council tackles amended fishery law in special session
The City Council held an urgent session Wednesday and tackled the city's amended fishery law, which agencies to collect and register fishing vessels of 3,000 gross tons and below have already been devolved from the Coastguard and Marine Industry Authority (Marina) to the Local Government Unit since April by virtue of Executive Order No. 305, issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Earlier, City Mayor Celso Lobregat called on the local legislators to hold an emergency session after they officially completed their last regular session for 2005 on December 19 to pass and approve the said amended ordinance, enabling the city government to implement the collection and registration of all fishing vessels operating within its territorial waters by next year.
City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat disclosed that there is a need for its immediate approval by the local legislative body after they came up with the necessary amendments and submitted to the August body during its regular session last December 13.
He said with its approval, the city, effective next year, will be able to generate an annual income of some P6 million. He is looking forward for a hike in the collection of the licensing and registration rates of all fishing vessels by the next three years after its maiden implementation in 2006.
"After three years, we can even increase the rates," Palacat said.
Palacat also assured that with the devolved functions of the fishery law to the city government, their bantay dagat campaign against illegal fishing can even be improved. He warned dynamite fishers that their catch will be confiscated and they can even face other stiff penalties, like fines and imprisonment, if repeatedly caught violating the same offense.
Palacat identified coastal areas of the city, where rampant illegal fishing by transient Pur-Sieners is being reported.
He said fishing boats from Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur encroach the city's rich fishing ground in Vitali and Curuan while those from the two towns of Sibuco and Sirawai in Zamboanga del Norte are feasting the opulent fish grounds of Limpapa, Labuan, Patalon and Talisayan.
Dynamite fishing is noted in the coastal areas of Bolong, Manicahan, Sangali, Curuan and Vitali in the East, while same kind of blast fishing occurs in Patalon, Limpapa, Labuan and Talisayan in the West, according to Palacat.
He warned all illegal fishers that their catch will absolutely be seized once they land on the shores if discovered and inspected by his fishery wardens that all their fish are "dynamite-caught."
(December 29, 2005 issue)
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