Alliance aims to curb illegal fishing

CEBU, Philippines - The provincial government and Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance Region (CLEAR) 7 will be joining forces to eliminate destructive and illegal fishing activities in the province.

They are one step closer to the collaboration following the authority the Provincial Board granted to Governor Hilario Davide III to enter into and sign a memorandum of agreement with CLEAR–7, as well as with other local government units and government agencies.

The measure, sponsored by Board Member Alex Binghay, was approved on Monday’s regular session.

The alliance, Binghay said, would ensure the protection and management of significant seascapes in the province, even throughout the region.

They are expected to come up with list of identified areas or hotspots where issues of illegal and unregulated fishing are rampant.

Andres Bojos, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas, said earlier that the alliance is seen to deter any form of destructive and illegal fishing with intensified regulation and participation from the government and private sectors.

“What is good now is that the civil society is now involved to the alliance. It’s not only an improvement or reactivation of the project but it is also an alliance of all stakeholders with civil society and local government units,” he said.

Founded in 2000, CLEAR-7 is a multi-agency and multi-sectoral group aimed at developing, piloting, and implementing an integrated coastal law enforcement strategy in Region 7. CLEAR 7 is chaired by the BFAR-7.

It can be recalled that the Technical Working Group (CLEAR 7-TWG) was able to identify top five issues and concerns prevalent in all seven coastal waters surrounding the region, such as Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, Danajon Bank, Cebu Strait, Bohol Sea, East Sulu Sea and Tañon Strait.

These include the intrusion of commercial fishing in the municipal waters in the region, blast fishing and production and selling of blasting caps, land-based pollution, destructive structures in the shorelines and compressor fishing: using either the arrow or noxious substances. (FREEMAN)