Fishermen jailed for using banned nets

MALALAG, Davao del Sur—At least 10 fishermen have been arrested here and charged with violating the country’s fisheries laws for using fine-mesh nets.

The arrest of the 10 men from the villages of Baclayon and Upper Bagumbayan took place as the local police intensified its campaign against illegal fishing to protect one of the province’s richest fishing grounds, according to Inspector Eric Requilman, the town’s acting police chief.

Requilman told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the fishermen were caught on Sept. 21 using the banned fishing gear on Malalag Bay, which has been identified as a marine sanctuary.

“They were on two pump boats that had five persons each and they already managed to catch some 30 kilos of assorted fish when our operatives caught up with them,” Requilman said.

The fishermen, who were charged in the local prosecutor’s office, were locked up at the police detention cell pending a commitment order from the court on where they should be detained.

Requilman said the campaign against illegal fishing here was continuing and that the police were also checking reports of dynamite fishing on Malalag Bay.