Blast fishing in Getafe sea remains unabated?
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GETAFE, Bohol – Dynamite fishing off this northernmost town, which is a part of the fragile marine biodiversity of Danajon Double Barrier Reefs, appeared to be still unabated despite massive campaign against the destructive fishing methods.
This came following a reliable report that a marine protected area (MPA) of barangay Handumon of Jandayan island off here was blasted by this method using dynamite during the annual fiesta of this town on January 27-28, 2012.
But the sad part of the unpleasant incident was that nobody seemed to care about it because it was not immediately reported to authorities, the police particularly, said a reliable source, who asked not to be named or identified.
An official of barangay Handumon, whose identity is withheld, confirmed in cellphone interview that indeed the dynamite fishing occurred on that very day at the MPA of said barangay. He said he suspected that the perpetrators hail from nearby island of Banacon.
Asked if he knew the identity of those culprits or the leader of the illegal fishing, he said he only suspected of an individual but he declined to identify him. He also confirmed that based on report he received the perpetrators are armed.
The official also confirmed that hundred kilos or more of fish were harvested as a result of dynamite method. This prompted him and fellow barrio folk to check the area blasted and found that there was this big hole on the sea floor, an indication that indeed the blasting really did happened.
In separate interview, SP03 Anelito Torreon of police station here said that the dynamite fishing on that very day (Jan. 28, 2012) was not recorded or nothing of this kind of incident reported in the police blotter. Probably, nobody reported it to the police, he said.
But the barangay official said that somebody from the barangay residents did reported the blasting to the police but the latter were said to be “busy” since it was feast day of Sto. Nino, the Patron Saint of the town.
In a separate check, nobody from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) provincial office knew about the blasting of MPA here.
The barangay official said that the blasting did not affect the seahorse sanctuary since this protected area is a distant from where the blast took place. Marine sanctuary of the seahorse has been maintained or sustained by the barangay folk and a non-government organization. It (sanctuary) attracted and continues to attract several experts and marine biologists from around the world for study and research of the sea horse. (RVO)
