Samar fishers get replacements for destructive nets

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Dec. 7 (PNA) –- His concern for the next generation prompted Carlito Adman, 39, to stop the 25-year practice of destructive fishing and replace his gear with an environment-friendly net.

Adman, a fisherman from the coastal community of Buno-Anon in this city, felt bad about practicing Danish seine fishing locally known as “hulbot-hulbot.”

Danish seines are similar to small trawl nets where the boat drags the long wire warps and the net around the fish and the action of the warps herd fish toward the central net. They are deemed dangerous to the sea bed, small fishes, and other sea creatures.

“I’ve been doing this for more than two decades. I have no choice but to use destructive fishing nets to support my wife and six children,” Adman shared.

When he noticed the dwindling fish catch over the past years, he started to contemplate about the plight of future fishermen in their village.

About 10 years ago, he earned PHP700 in every trip. In the past three years, his daily earning went down to PHP200. “I thought of what would be left to the future generation.”

Adman is just one of the 182 fishermen from this city, Talalora, and Daram towns who surrendered their destructive fishing nets on Wednesday morning and have it replaced with environment-friendly gears from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Each 500-meter gill net from the fisheries bureau costs PHP7,000.

“Instead of arresting them, we conceptualized a program to replace their gears with environment-friendly nets. Their income might be lower, but we are assured that it is sustainable and non-destructive,” said BFAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director Juan Albaladejo.

Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan-de los Santos said the initiative will persuade fishermen to abandon illicit activities.

“If we will arrest and detain them, it’s not only the boat owner who is affected, but fishermen who are breadwinners of large families,” Tan said.

Most of the 182 fishers have been practicing Danish Seine fishing, which cause damages to sea bed, coral reefs and other marine life. Some have been using active gears and larger boats in municipal waters or part of the sea within 15 kilometers stretch from the shoreline.

Initially, the BFAR and local governments in Samar have identified 500 illegal fishers in Samar provinces. Most of them are from Sto Nino town, fishing in San Bernardino Strait.

The fisheries bureau reminded local government units to step up the monitoring activities within the municipal waters to protect the livelihood of small fishermen.

During the activity, BFAR also turned over two units of 30-footer fiberglass boats for sea patrol operations of provincial government. (PNA)
LAP/Sarwell Q. Meniano