THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Northern Mindanao has expressed apprehension over the state of the rich fishing ground in northwestern part of Mindanao as illegal fishing activities are back.
Asuncion Maputol, officer-in-charge of BFAR-Northern Mindanao, said Panguil Bay, which was rehabilitated some three years ago, is once again being subjected to illegal fishing owing to the leadership vacuum of the Panguil Bay Development Council (PBDC) that is resulting to the non or weak enforcement of laws for the protection and conservation of the bay.
PBDC, which is composed of local government units (LGUs) officials and heads of government agencies coming from Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao, said in 2015 that it has removed illegal fishing structures as part of the cleanup and rehabilitation program in the bay.
Maputol said the current administration has not yet given attention to the condition of the bay owing to the number of prioritized projects that need attention.
“But we, in BFAR, will not let the illegal activities in the bay to go unnoticed and we will in due time act to drive the perpetrators without reservations or offer some form of settlement for them to stop the illegal fishing,” Maputol said.
In 2015, PBDC offered material and funding support to those affected when the bay clean-up and rehabilitation program started.
BFAR said that prior to the organization of the PBDC the fishery resources of the Paguil Bay have considerably declined in terms of catch rates and volume due to the unabated illegal and destructive fishing practices, particularly the use of filter nets, locally known as sanggab, and dynamite fishing.
Sanggab is a cone-shaped mesh of fine nets that is positioned against the current during high tide. It catches even the smallest fry, without escape.
BFAR also said the destruction of natural habitat of marine life, where mangrove forests were converted to fishponds; the dumping of poisonous chemicals from fishponds; and the increasing human population along the shore of the bay contributed to the decline.
“True enough, after the successful rehabilitation, we are now enjoying an abundance of supply of fish coming from the bay. This condition is an opportunity for the affected stakeholders to fish legally for their livelihood,” BFAR said, adding that a renewed threat of illegal fishing practices in the bay would render meaningless the efforts for its protection
Panguil Bay is a small but rich fishing ground that supports the livelihood of thousands of small-scale fishermen in northwest Mindanao. It is flanked by 10 municipalities and two cities belonging to the three provinces of Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental in Zamboanga and Northern Mindanao regions.
Before the organization of the PBDC, over the years, the Panguil Bay has been subjected to the divided governance among the municipalities, unregulated resource use and minimal interventions.
The bay is a rich fishing ground, particularly of the three main groups of fishery resources — finfish, mollusks and crustaceans (shrimps and crabs), which are the most commercially harvested.