Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur fishers stick to sea borders

SAN FERNANDO CITY—Fishermen from Bolinao town in Pangasinan province and Magsingal town in Ilocos Sur province have signed an agreement preventing them from encroaching into their sea territories.

Fishermen from Barangay Poro earlier accused commercial fishing boats from Bolinao of harvesting fish at their “payaw” (fish aggregating device) 111 kilometers (60 nautical miles) from the shore.

Bolinao fishermen, in turn, blamed Poro fishermen for allegedly destroying the town’s vast coral reefs.

The agreement was reached after a dialogue on Feb. 28 brokered by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The Ilocos Sur provincial board had sought the BFAR intervention before the dispute turned violent. —YOLANDA SOTELO