Zamboanga City-The Maritime Industry Authority has vowed to support the full enforcement of law concerning any violation of the fishing ban on sardines or Tamban being implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
MARINA ARMM Basilan Chief Operations Officer Mannan H. Haman
said that along with the other stakeholders in the sea transport and fishing
industries MARINA will assist in running after fishing boats of fishing firms
that do not comply with the off or close season period for the catching of
tamban in the seas of the region even as he assured that MARINA will do its
mandate to remind fishing vessels.
Mannan was among the participants in last
week’s Technical Working Group (TWG) Committee Meeting called by BFAR-9
Regional Director Ahadulla Sajili held at the Garden Orchids Hotel last week.
Haman has been designated by Department of Transportation and
Communication ARMM OIC Regional Director and
concurrently Basilan Provincial Head
Capt. Dialoson A. Amil, PCGA as the only authorized representative to deal with
all shipping lines, owners and operators of fishing and motorized
bancas/vessels plying exclusively in the municipal sea waters, particularly in
Sulu, Baslian and Tawi-Tawi of the Autonomous region's area.
DOTC-ARMM Head, Executive Director Pama Dimapanat has directed
MARINA in Basilan to report any violations during the period when fishing boat
owners and operators are supposed to strictly observe the ban.
We will assist BFAR and other law enforcement agencies like the
Navy, Coast Guard and PNP Maritime Group in seeing to it that the ban is
observed during the spawning period of the sardines, Haman said.
BFAR, National Director Atty. Asis Perez presided over the TWG
Meeting, along with other fishery officials and representatives of the fishing
and sardines industry firms and other sectors to discuss the start of the ban
in December.
During the TWG, presentation of the research work and scientific
studies made by experts on the small pelagic assessment under the Sulu-Celebes
Sea suatainable Fisheries Management Project focus on Sardinella species;
Survey on the board of distribution and abundance of sardine larvae; stages of Gonadal development;
and various validation study results; open forum and synthesis, comments and
recommendations by the attendees.
MARINA has also been actively assisting the fishing industry in
last year's implementation of the fishing ban, Haman said. (BFC)