Illegal-fishing activities within the Tañon Strait in Negros Occidental declined by 90 percent, after the government launched its intensified campaign against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and created Task Force Lawod in March 2014.
“From an average of 100 fishing vessels, which regularly encroach on the municipal fishing grounds of various coastal towns in the province, the number of violators dropped to less than 10,” Provincial Environment Management Officer Wilfred Ramon M. Peñalosa said.
This as a significant development, especially since Negros Occidental is backing calls to protect the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS), one of the largest marine-protected areas (MPAs) in the country.
The TSPS is a narrow strait between Negros Islands and Cebu. It is known as a passageway of passenger and cargo ships. It is also home to over a dozen species of dolphins and whales, including dugong and marine turtles.
Peñalosa said the downtrend was observed from March 2014 to March 2017, based on data provided by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture.
The task force targets large-scale commercial fishing vessels, as well as small- or medium-scale commercial fishing boats that use destructive fishing methods.
He said Task Force Lawod’s use of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometry System allowed it to significantly cut the number of illegal fishers in the area. Lawod is the Visayan word for laot, which refers to the vast oceans.
“We are still trying to improve our anti-illegal fishing campaign. The task force is composed of a multiagency team working together to protect the province’s municipal fishing grounds,” Peñalosa said.
Task Force Lawod was created by Gov. Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. in Mach 2014, in response to the widespread clamor against the rampant illegal-fishing activities in the municipal waters facing the Tañon Strait.
Marañon met with officers of Oceana International and its local counterpart, Oceana Philippines, and the group Rare Philippines during a brief interaction on Tuesday.
Negros Occidental is one of the areas where Oceana and Rare are implementing advocacy, training, capacity-building and livelihood programs in fishing communities as part of the campaign to protect the Tañon Strait.
Oceana Philippines Executive Vice President Gloria Estenzo Ramos said Occidental Minodoro has one of the most effective anti-illegal fishing campaigns in the country.
“They are a beacon in the fight against illegal fishing. They do surveillance, and they have high conviction rate,” Ramos said, referring to the task force.
Oceana Philippines is pushing for the implementation of the General Management Plan for the TSPS.
Meanwhile, Marañon said Negros Occidental is a fishing province, and it has everything to gain in protecting the Tanon Strait.
“We created the Task Force Lawod to help LGUs [local government units] in enforcing environmental and fishing laws,” Marañon said.
So far, Peñalosa said Task Force Lawod had already filed 30 cases for violation of the Fishery Code of the Philippines. Of the 30 cases, 10 cases resulted in the conviction of the perpetrators.