The main concern of newly appointed director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is to end destructive fishing methods and the continuous intrusion of commercial fishers into municipal waters all over the country. Asis Perez, an environmental lawyer from Tiaong town in Quezon, took his oath of office before Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala in Manila on Monday morning and will assume office on June 1.
According to Perez commercial fishers have permits and licenses issued by the BFAR. He added that as a chief he will strictly monitor that the rules surrounding their fishing activities are being followed. A former executive director of Tanggol Kalikasan (Defense of Nature), a public interest environmental law office, Perez won the 2010 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award.
As BFAR head, Perez’s top priority will be the strict implementation of fishery laws to protect the country’s remaining marine resources. The BFAR, which is under the Department of Agriculture, is responsible for the development, improvement, management and conservation of the country’s fisheries and aquatic resources. The militant fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakayang Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) has charged that RA 8550 failed to protect the livelihood of fishermen and the marine environment.
