Strengthen drive vs illegal fishers, poachers -- Recto

Sen. Ralph Recto has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to boost the capability of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and other enforcers in implementing maritime and environmental laws.

Recto said the campaign to preserve the country's rich biodiversity and protect the remaining rare and endangered fish species and marine resources would likewise get a boost if all lower courts handling cases of illegal fishing and poaching act on pending cases of serious violations of Republic Act No. 8550, otherwise known as the Fisheries Code.

Last Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, BFAR director Malcom Sarmiento and representatives of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released 350 live "mameng," scientifically known as Cheilinus undulatus, that were earlier confiscated from Chinese poachers off the waters of Tubbataha Reef Natural Park .

Recto said the recovery of the endangered fish species was a triumph of the BFAR and other law enforcers who have to make do with meager resources in patrolling the country's long coastline and territorial waters.

"Foreign poachers who make a mockery of the country's territorial sovereignty would think twice before sailing to Palawan to catch mameng, a fish that grows to more than 2 meters and weigh nearly 190 kilos in maturity, since law enforcers would be after their necks and the courts would order their imprisonment if they do not abide by our laws," the senator stressed.

Mameng is highly prized for its exquisite texture and taste, which means that diners have to pay a premium for this fish, which could live for up to 30 years after gaining maturity and maximizing its fertility between five and seven years, he added.

"I ask the courts to think of ways of hastening the prosecution of suspected offenders, both local and foreign, and make it very difficult for them to secure their temporary liberty," Recto added.

The senator explained that poachers and those who use illegal fishing methods like applying cyanide, electricity, explosives and prohibited fishing gear invariably catch juvenile mameng that weigh less than a kilo "and they threaten to make extinct fish species that are actually endangered and are protected by law."

Recto called for the purchases of more patrol boats and equipment to allow BFAR, the PCG, Maritime Police and the Philippine Navy (PN) to go after poachers and illegal fishermen using large boats and ships to strip the country of its marine resources.

The senator also called for the imposition of stiffer penalties on poachers who also destroy corals and other marine structures that play host to fish sanctuaries not only in Palawan but in other islands all over the archipelago.