Police nabs illegal fishermen in Cagayan
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (3 October) -- The Philippine National Police's maritime group recently scored on illegal fishing with the arrest of 19 crews of six fishing boats this month.
A report from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional office said four motorized boats were apprehended by joint elements of BFAR and maritime police led by Police Inspector Reynaldo Campanano.
The violators were apprehended in the towns of Buguey and Aparri for the alleged use of 'Saplar' and 'Buli-buli' or Danish seine fishing gears.
'Saplar' is a fishing gear being towed by two motorized bancas used in catching 'Aramang' or soft shelled shrimp which is considered as an endemic specie at the mouth of Cagayan river while Danish seine is a fishing equipment that scoops up everything in its path, making it environmentally destructive.
Apprehended fishing boats were F/B Manny 1, F/B Ricmay, F/B Manny 2 and F/B Aloha while the confiscated catch were fourteen cans of soft shelled shrimp and 90 kilos of assorted fish.
BFAR said the fishermen who were facing fishery charges violated provincial and municipal regulations within the coastal towns. The apprehensions came less than a month after the seizure of 440 kilos of dynamited fish from Camiguin, Calayan Island. (PIA NVizcaya) [top]
