Sunday, March 23, 2008 Agriculturist nixes hulbot-hulbot fishing
THE Office of the City Agriculturist has turned down the request of the officials of an eastern coast village in Zamboanga City to extend the grace period given to its fisherfolks from engaging in "hulbot-hulbot" fishing.
Village officials of Bolong have requested City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat to extend the grace period so that the fisherfolks could earn income while finding new means of livelihood aside from fishing.
Bolong is a coastal village located 33 kilometers east of Zamboanga City. A large number of the residents of this village depend on fishing as their means of livelihood.
Palacat said his office would no longer allow the use of such type of fishing, citing it destroys the coral reefs that serve as shelter and sources of food of different kinds of fish.
Hulbot-hulbot refers to a fishing gear that consists of a conical shaped net with a pair of wings. The ends are connected to two ropes with buri, plastic strips, or any similar materials to serve as scaring/herding device. It has hauling ropes that pass through a metallic ring permanently attached to a weight when hauled into a fishing boat.
Palacat said hulbot-hulbot fishing violates a Fisheries Administrative Order issued in the year 1987 otherwise known as the Rules and Regulations governing the operation of "Hulbot-Hulbot" in the Philippine waters.
Fine in violating the administrative order amounts to not less than P500 but not more than P5,000, or imprisonment from six months to four years.
He advised the fisherfolks of Bolong and from other villages in Zamboanga City to practice legal ways of fishing to earn a living like "payao" or "fish shelter" within the prescribed municipal waters of Zamboanga.
The establishment of payao will increase their catch aside from reducing operational cost and time, Palacat explained. (Bong Garcia)
