City maintaining close watch on illegal fishers
Iloilo City -- Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the city government is continuing to keep a tight watch on illegal fishers in the wake of apprehensions made by a task force last week.
Treñas said his administration will not tolerate nor condone any form of illegal fishing activity and warned illegal fishing syndicates that the full force of the law will be applied against them if caught. He added that while there is no direct illegal fishing activity within metro waters, the city’s fishing port complex is often made the venue for selling illegally caught fish.
The mayor earlier commended Task Force Snapper for catching two fishing boats loaded with tons of dynamited fish. apprehensions they made last week.
The task force apprehended the fishing boats Elmer 2 and 3 Sisters and their respective crews after both crafts were caught unloading illegally-caught fish in the complex. The fish, reportedly caught in Palawan waters, were later confirmed by the City Agriculturist Office that these were caught with the use of dynamite forbidden by the Fishery Code of the Philippines.
The 3 Sisters fishing boat alone yielded four metric tons of illegally-caught first class fish.
Meanwhile, Treñas also cautioned fish vendors in the various public markets here from selling illegally-caught fish under pain of prosecution.
He further assured Task Force Snapper of his full support in the campaign against illegal fishing activities.
(Eireen Manikan/PIO)