ILOILO CITY (PIA) – – Regional offices of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Western Visayas (Region 6), Central Visayas (Region 7), and Bicol Region (Region 5) are all set to lead intensified monitoring and surveillance activities in key fishing areas across Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 11 to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Based on the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 as amended by Republic Act No. 10654, IUU fishing refers to, among others, fishing activities that violate Philippine laws, resolutions issued by the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMOs), and laws of other coastal states; those which have not been reported, or have been misreported to concerned authorities; and those conducted in areas or fish stocks where there are no applicable conservation and management measures.
The FMA 11 covers the Visayan Sea, Guimaras Strait, and Tañon Strait.
According to BFAR, the Modified Danish seine (MDS), locally known as “hulbot-hubot,” has long been scraping the reefs and robbing both municipal and commercial fishers who are legally fishing in the Visayan Sea.
Such practices have been widely criticized for contributing to overfishing and habitat degradation, posing serious threats to the biodiversity and sustainability of the country’s fisheries resources.
In 2018, an inventory conducted by the BFAR-USAID Fish Right Program discovered that there were 2,000 active hulbot-hulbot and trawl operators in the Visayan Sea, with some found in Northern Iloilo and Northern Negros.
Moreover, using the IUU Fishing Index and Threat Assessment Tool in 2021, it was also found that an estimated P16 million per day in value of fisheries resources were not accounted for and practically lost due to hulbot-hulbot.
Thus, the Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) was issued, by which the mere possession of hulbot-hulbot and/or any of its paraphernalia is deemed “prima facie” (at first sight) evidence of the violation. This means that a person can be presumed to have committed an illegal act simply by having a prohibited item in their possession.
Fisherfolk, municipal or commercial, found using modified Danish seine will face penalties, including confiscation of their fishing gear, a fine as high as P2 million, and possible suspension or revocation of their fishing licenses.
BFAR said banning modified Danish seine fishing is part of the Philippine government’s broader efforts to promote sustainable fisheries management and combat IUU fishing.
BFAR 6 Regional Director Remia Aparri emphasized the importance of monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) in municipal and commercial waters.
“Our operational plan for the remaining months of the year will include deploying our floating assets. We already started this before the pandemic for the Visayan Sea Close Season; now we aim to model this approach for other FMAs as one of our best practices,” she said.
The meeting, which was a result of the Bureau’s national mid-year assessment, will be a collaborative effort of the three regions with other law enforcement agencies.
The three regional offices of BFAR committed to apprehending targeted hulbot-hulbot vessels, rigorous filing of administrative and criminal cases, and continuous information campaigns about IUU fishing.
BFAR also noted that these efforts are all aligned with the goals of the FMA 11 Management Framework 2022-2026, including the practical elimination of top IUU fishing practices and the establishment of capacitated and well-coordinated fisheries law enforcement. (AAL/AGP/PIA 6 with reports from BFAR 6)
