CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- About 70 fishermen from Bataan province, who are aspiring to become Bantay Dagat officers, recently underwent a two-day Fisheries Law Enforcement Training (FLET) workshop conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The FLET is a community-based law enforcement program that engages fisherfolk in coastal villages or barangays on a volunteer basis to support the detection and enforcement of illegal fishing in coastal waters.
BFAR Regional Director Wilfredo Cruz said the training equipped the fisherfolk with the necessary legal, logistical and technical skills.
The fishermen were oriented on national and local fisheries laws, vessel identification, detection of fish caught by explosives, conducting warrantless arrest and seizure and basic skills in completing legal forms.
The training also enhanced the abilities of deputized and prospective fish wardens from local government units (LGUs) particularly in implementing fishery regulations in municipal waters as parts of measures to safeguard fisheries and address problems on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, he added.
“The FLET workshop will improve the ability of LGUs to enforce their authority over their municipal waters and prepare potential fish wardens for their duties in ensuring adherence to fisheries laws and regulations. The training underscores the role of fishers not only in food security but also their big contribution in the intensified fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” Cruz added.
The Bantay Dagat is a community-based law enforcement program that engages fisherfolk in coastal villages or barangays on a voluntary basis to support the detection and enforcement of anti-illegal fishing policies in the coastal waters.
Some 40 fishers from the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Abucay, Balanga, Pilar, Limay, Bagac, and Morong have undergone the same training last April to become deputized fish wardens.