by Patricia Bermudez January 16, 2021 Quezon Province 'buli-buli' (Photo from Quezon PIA) CALAMBA CITY - Coastal municipalities in Q...
January 16, 2021
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| Quezon Province 'buli-buli' (Photo from Quezon PIA) |
CALAMBA CITY - Coastal municipalities in Quezon Province, such as Polillo Island, are the most susceptible to illegal fishing activities.
This was after the combined team of the Bureau of Fisheries - Fisheries Law Enforcement Group (FPLEG), 1st Quezon Provincial Mobile Force Company (1QPMFC) of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Naval Intelligence and Security Group (NISU-32) of the Philippine Navy, and Alpha Company of the Philippine Army 59th Infantry Battalion arrested nine (9) commercial fishing vessels using Danish Seine - locally known as buli-buli or hulbot-hulbot - in the municipality of Mauban on New Year’s Eve.
This includes the vessel, Vanessa 1, which local authorities said was a repeat offender of fishing laws.
Local fisherfolk have cried foul over the ‘buli-buli’ practice because it forces them to lose their source of livelihood.
“Walang mahuli ang mga mangingisda dahil sa mga buli-buli.” one of them said.
DA-BFAR National Director Eduardo Gongona said their crackdown on illegal fishing will provide more opportunities to local fisherfolk to earn money and provide food to Filipino families.
“We could not stress enough how proper enforcement of the fisheries law is to the overall performance of the Philippine fishery sector. Billions are lost to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF), including hulbot-hulbot, which has led to heightened and more effective maritime patrol operations even during holidays.”
In 2020, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) filed a total of 793 IUUF-related cases; 684 of which were resolved where more than P40-M were collected on penalties for violations of fishery laws.
Meanwhile, the local government units of Alabat and Perez are also rolling out programs to weed out this destructive and illegal fishing method in their towns.
Alabat Municipal Mayor Fernando Mesa said they have allotted P1.5-M for the vessels they will use for pursuing buli-buli.
On the other hand, Perez Municipal Mayor Pepito Reyes donated a parcel of land in their town where BFAR can construct an extension office.
While the nearby municipalities are strengthening their capacity to enforce the law, they are also counting on the other agencies to help them crack down on illegal fishers.
Gongona assured the local chief executives that they will distribute 59 units of patrol boats to capacitate local fishing and bring back the sustainability of municipal waters.
“Napakalaking tulong ng media upang maiparating sa mga iligal na tumigil na.” Mesa said.
[Media is a big help in telling illegal (fishers) to stop (their activities).]
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