The authority informed that to restrict illegal fishing the law requires licenses, leases or permits for the use of active fishing gear and undersized fine mesh nets, and bans commercial fishing in municipal waters. But the authority finds it hard to enforce the laws especially among small fishermen.
Maj. Aniceto Malapitan, head of the Batangas Maritime Police, small fishermen here do illegal fishing abundantly because it is their food and livelihood. Here authority can hardly do anything. The government has assessed the implementation of the Philippine Fisheries Code or Republic Act No. 8550 in Batangas. It has invited fishermen and municipal agriculturists to have their views regarding the implementation.
According to Malapitan mere putting restriction on this thing is not the solution. It could affect the people since it is an economic problem. Commenting on illegal fishing Rosario del Mundo, provincial fisheries officer, said that the municipal governments should have the political will to arrest their constituents who violate the law.
Provisions of law allowed commercial fishing beyond 15 kilometres from the shore under RA 8550. As per the law fishermen cannot use the fine mesh nets smaller than the standard 3 centimeters fixed by the Department of Agriculture. Del Mundo admitted that commercial fishermen continued to do illegal fishing in municipal waters, which can further reduce the resources, especially since commercial fishing is destructive in nature.
Some agree with the law of keeping commercial fishing at bay but there are small fishermen who disagree with this as it would snatch their livelihood. Jessie de los Reyes, chair of the Calatagan Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, said that the authority only enforcing the law to curb illegal fishing and to improve the coastline life.
