PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) personnel manning the Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS)-3001 of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), have apprehended a motorboat for illegal fishing off Zamboanga Sibugay, the PCG said Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

The Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM) said the unmarked motorboat was caught fishing illegally in the vicinity of the waters of Zamboanga Sibugay and Malasugat Bays on Tuesday, March 26.

The CGDSWM said the PCG personnel manning the MCS-3001 were on routine maritime patrol when caught the crew aboard the unmarked motorboat fishing with the use of a modified Danish seine, locally known as “bulbot-hulbot."

The CGDSWM said hulbot-hulbot fishing is unlawful since it is a destructive fishing method that goes against the national government's efforts to preserve marine resources and promote sustainable fishing practices.

The CGDSWM said the MCS-3001 personnel seized aboard the motorboat boxes of assorted fish caught through hulbot-hulbot fishing and fine mesh nets, the use of which is prohibited under existing law.

The personnel of the MCS-3001 immediately brought the fishing motorboat to port in Sangali village, this city, and was turned over to the custody of BFAR for proper disposition.

On Friday, March 22, the personnel of MCS-3001 backed by policemen and local authorities apprehended a vessel for hulbot-hulbot fishing in the vicinity of Pandilusan Island, Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province.

“By cracking down these types of practices in our waters, we can ensure that the livelihood of law-abiding fishermen will not be hindered,” the CGDSWM said in a statement. (SunStar Zamboanga)