8 arrested in Maguindanao for dynamite fishing

COTABATO CITY – Eight persons have been arrested by a deputized environmentalist group and the local police in Parang, Maguindanao, after they were found with fish believed to have been caught through dynamite fishing.

Of the eight persons arrested, three were youngsters and were turned over to the local social welfare office. The others were detained at the Parang police jail.

Tony Mosim, chair of Bantay Dagat, a multi-sectoral group formed to protect the coastline of Parang and Illana Bay, on Tuesday said the suspects used dynamite in catching fish near Bongo island off the coast of Parang town.

Mosim said several fish, many of them small fry, were brought to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) laboratory for examination.

“The BFAR found traces of dynamite in the samples,” Mosim said.

Fish or other sea products caught with the use of dynamite and explosives have busted stomachs, BFAR officials said.

A local ordinance in Parang bans the use of dynamite in fishing on Illana Bay.

The suspects face prison terms of six months or more.